Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe is widely seen as a longer-term development project, given his well-documented need to improve as a passer.
But that doesn’t mean Milroe won’t see the field this fall.
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With big-time speed packed into a linebacker’s body, the 6-foot-2, 217-pound Milroe has a tantalizing level of athleticism. He put that on full display at Alabama, where he rushed for 1,257 yards and 32 touchdowns over the past two seasons. And in the NFL, his rare skill set could be a perfect fit for specialty packages that utilize him as a change-of-pace weapon.
Former Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who attended one of the team’s recent spring practices, discussed that possibility during a recent conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
“I definitely can respect how hard the learning curve is to go from college to the NFL,” Hasselbeck said. “But I also would be naive to think that they couldn’t be creative enough to find a way to use him in spots.
“Like, as you’re winning games, as Sam Darnold is your starting quarterback, find ways to take Jalen’s skill set and make someone have to worry about it – in short-yardage, in goal line, in the red zone, the low red (zone). I think that’s exciting.”
Hasselbeck also mentioned an additional benefit of using Milroe as a change-of-pace weapon – that opposing defenses would have to spend time practicing and preparing for the threat he poses.
Hasselbeck pointed back to the 2021 season, when San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan occasionally mixed in athletic backup quarterback Trey Lance. At the time, Hasselbeck was working at ESPN alongside former NFL head coach Rex Ryan, who explained how even just the possibility of having to defend Lance added an extra headache for opposing coaches during the week leading up to the game.
“Rex would talk about how that’s just taking time away from my preparation for the real Kyle Shanahan offense,” Hasselbeck said. “I’m spending hours on all the different things that I’ve gotta prepare for now, and it’s just taking time away.
“And I think that that’s an example of (how the Seahawks could approach this),” he added. “You’re developing your young quarterback, you’re breaking the ice and you’re making your offense way tougher to defend.”
Listen to the full conversation with Matt Hasselbeck at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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