Jalen Milroe got one more chance to change the conversation on his future with the Seattle Seahawks. Mike Macdonald named him the starting quarterback for Friday’s preseason finale against the Chiefs, and Milroe will stay under center for the entire night.
The timing matters because the Seahawks must set their 53-man roster on August 30, and Milroe’s place is far from settled. Through two preseason games, he has 88 passing yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and five sacks, a line that has made his spot look shakier after back-to-back poor performances.
That is why so many fans still have a decision to make in their own minds even if the staff is moving closer to one. In a recent survey, 54% of votes leaned toward Milroe making the roster, while 31% said he should be waived and 15% thought Seattle would trade him. The split matches the reality around him: he is in the second year of a four-year, $6.2 million rookie contract, so the Seahawks would not free up much by moving on, but they would be choosing a leaner quarterback room right when they may least want it.
Milroe’s struggles have not been abstract. Last week, one of his five sacks came on a costly fourth down against the Tennessee Titans, a play that fit the same boom-or-bust label he carried out of Alabama because of his speed, rushing ability and the lingering questions about decision-making and accuracy. That profile explains why the discussion has turned so quickly from upside to whether he can be trusted to survive roster cuts.
If Milroe survives Friday, the cleanest answer is that he becomes depth and development at once: a quarterback who can be active behind Sam Darnold and Drew Lock without needing regular-season snaps to justify his presence. If he does not, Seattle could enter the season with only those two quarterbacks, a move that would leave little margin for error and turn the final preseason game into the last test that mattered.
