Jalen Milroe’s second preseason outing with the Seattle Seahawks turned into a rough night fast.
The former Alabama quarterback played the entire second half against the Tennessee Titans, and the final line told the story: six completions on 11 attempts for 52 yards, plus two sacks and two interceptions. The mistakes piled up late, and they erased any chance of a clean finish.
One sequence in particular stood out. After Tennessee scored to take its first lead of the game, Seattle needed a response.
Instead, the Seahawks eventually found themselves facing 4th and 3 with 4:48 left. Milroe had time in the pocket, drifted to his right to keep the play alive, but never got rid of the ball and never took off.
Mohamoud Diabate and Truman Jones brought him down on an avoidable sack.
Seattle’s defense gave him another shot by stuffing Tennessee on 4th down at the Seahawks’ 8-yard line. But the comeback chance evaporated on the first snap of the drive.
Milroe dropped back in his own end zone, felt pressure, moved right, and while on the run threw toward former Alabama receiver Emmanuel Henderson, who was leaning the other way. The pass missed the mark and Titans safety Derrick Canteen came away with the interception that finished the game.
Afterward, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald backed the rookie.
“You say ‘two picks’ and it sounds a certain way, but let’s watch the tape and see what we can improve on there,” he told the media. “I know he’s upset, he’s disappointed, but he’s got a long way to go. He still has an opportunity to improve and take his game to another level, so let’s go focus on that.”
Milroe is expected to sit third on Seattle’s quarterback depth chart behind Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, the same spot he held last season when the Seahawks won Super Bowl 60.
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