The Seattle Seahawks drafted dynamic dual-threat quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft to develop him for the future. But one of the best running quarterbacks to enter the draft could see a packet of plays right out of the gate.
The Seahawks could get Milroe in the game as a change-up to Sam Darnold, who operates out of the pocket, but head coach Mike Macdonald wanted to make it clear last week that the rookie quarterback is not the NFL's new Taysom Hill.
"The way (the Saints) used (Hill) was more in a tight end-fullback hybrid role, sometimes taking snaps; Jalen is a quarterback through and through," Macdonald said last week, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. "He's going to be trained to play quarterback for us. When he's in there, he's going to be playing quarterback. But the athleticism is going to come to life when he's on the field."
Hill has played everything from quarterback to tight end to fullback to personal punt protector on special teams. The 34-year-old is currently listed as a tight end on the Saints roster and hasn't started a game at quarterback since the 2021 season.
Early under Sean Payton, the Saints moved Hill around to get him on the field. That plan was cemented after it became evident being a full-time quarterback wasn't in Hill's future. Macdonald's response suggests the Seahawks don't see that move as necessary for Milroe. The Alabama product will remain in the QB room.
With Darnold and Drew Lock in Seattle, the question is what sort of role Milroe will play in Year 1. If the Seahawks are to get him into a package of plays, he'd have to be active each week. That would mean activating three QBs or Milroe leapfrogs Lock for the backup role.
Macdonald was asked whether the Seahawks need patience with Milroe, a dynamic athlete who must grow as a passer.
"We don't use patience a lot around here," he said. "There's always going to be an urgency in how we're developing our players, how we're training them. Jalen is going to be right there with everybody else."
The Seahawks imported new coordinator Klink Kubiak and their top three QBs this offseason. While Darnold has some experience with Kubiak from their year together in San Francisco, it's a new offense for all the signal-callers. How the quarterbacks split reps will be interesting this offseason and into training camp, with the starter getting most of the snaps.
