Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe finished strongly for the Seattle Seahawks during his first preseason start Saturday night. But early on, Milroe showcased why most pundits considered him a raw prospect before the 2025 NFL Draft.
Milroe didn’t throw an interception, but he took five sacks in the preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers. Those sacks resulted in three lost fumbles, including two in the first half.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald addressed Milroe’s ball security during his postgame press conference Saturday night. But overall, Macdonald delivered a positive outlook on Milroe’s development.
“Just keep chopping away man. Keeping building the foundation,” Macdonald said. “He’s out there, he’s playing his tail off. There’s things that we’re going to learn from.
“Taking care of the football is probably the number one thing, and he knows that. We’ll learn from it and grow from it. It was definitely worth it to get him out there and have this experience.
“He’s definitely going to be able to build off this in the future.”
Milroe played the entire game behind center for Seattle. He completed 13 of 24 passes for 148 yards with a touchdown. In addition to the five sacks and three lost fumbles, Milroe also rushed for 31 yards on seven carries.
Seahawks Operation Better With Jalen Milroe
Seattle didn’t play any of its first-team starters during the preseason finale. So, any improvements or concerns the unit showed Saturday should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, Macdonald has discussed the offensive operation often this preseason, especially with the rookie behind center. So, it was notable the Seahawks head coach saw improvement in that area versus the Packers.
“Andrew Janocko called the game on offense, our quarterbacks coach. I thought he did a great job getting Jalen [Milroe] ready,” Macdonald told reporters. “I thought, for the most part, we operated alright. We weren’t flirting with the play clock. We were getting in and out of plays, and getting from one play to another and do that type of stuff.
“We have to operate at an elite level to be a championship football team. We’re not there yet with those guys and really as a football team. It’s something we’re still chasing. It’s definitely improved.”
The Seahawks avoided any delay of game penalties. But the team did commit three false starts and an offensive holding in the 20-7 loss to the Packers. The offensive holding penalty nullified a Milroe touchdown run during the first half.
Milroe Responds With Fourth Quarter TD
After the holding penalty wiped out Milroe’s six-yard touchdown run, the Seahawks ended that possession with a turnover on downs.
Milroe finally put together a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. The rookie quarterback struck Cody White for an 18-yard score.
“What’s great about it is he didn’t flinch,” Macdonald said of Milroe. “He had a couple of setbacks earlier, and he kept fighting. He kept working at it.
“Up until the very end, we had a chance to get back into the game and give ourselves a chance to win it. We’re fighting an uphill battle the whole game, which is not how we want to play. Sometimes things aren’t going to go your way, and you’ve got to fight through it.”
Milroe will enter the regular season as Seattle’s QB3. Sam Darnold will start while veteran Drew Lock will serve as the team’s primary backup.
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