The Seattle Seahawks have a quarterback battle brewing, and it’s not for the starting job. The competition to watch is for the backup role, where Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe are both pushing to make their case as camp gets rolling.
NFL insider Ian Rapaport pointed to that matchup as one of the key battles to follow once the veterans join rookie training camp. And while there was plenty of buzz around Milroe possibly challenging Sam Darnold for the top spot, the reality has been that he needed time to develop. Lock, meanwhile, brings the kind of experience that usually matters most in this kind of fight.
That edge starts with the résumé. Lock has played in 41 regular-season games and started 28 of them, throwing for 6,339 yards, 34 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
He also saw action in five games last season, though he only attempted three passes. There were moments when he had to stay ready, including when Darnold dealt with an oblique injury, but he never actually got the call.
The veteran quarterback is entering the final year of a two-year, $5 million deal, and he has already served as a backup in two separate stints. His strongest calling card has long been his ability to attack downfield, with arm strength and deep-ball accuracy standing out as his best traits. If the Seahawks need someone to step in and steady things, Lock has the most proven track record to do it.
Milroe, though, has made this more than a formality. The fact that Seattle even has a real competition here says plenty about how much he has grown this offseason. He has been working out with Darnold and several of the team’s core pass-catchers, and there’s a chance new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury will find ways to use him in both the run and passing game.
There have also been stretches during OTAs and minicamps where Milroe flashed and Lock gave the ball away. At Alabama, Milroe showed he can be dangerous as a passer, especially when throwing deep.
At the same time, his issues with mid-range accuracy were part of the story, and he was never fully developed. After a few rough games last season, the lesson was clear: he needed time to sit, learn and grow in practice.
That makes this season a real opening for him. If Milroe has taken a step forward as a passer, his chances of winning the backup job improve sharply, especially with a new offensive coordinator who leans toward the run game. And if Seattle decides Lock is the odd man out, the financial picture is clean: cutting or trading him would leave only a $500,000 dead cap hit while creating $2.250 million in savings this season.
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