Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s night as the defending Super Bowl champion starter lasted one drive Wednesday.
The Seahawks quarterback left the season opener against the New England Patriots with a hip injury after being sacked by Dre’Mont Jones. He went to the medical tent, then the locker room, and was ruled out before halftime.
Drew Lock came in for the second series. The veteran has been Seattle’s primary backup and now faces the possibility of extended work depending on Darnold’s tests.
If the hip problem keeps Darnold out for more than a week or two, the Seahawks may decide they need another quarterback on the roster.
NFL reporter Jarrett Bailey immediately floated Dallas Cowboys practice-squad quarterback Joe Milton III as a name worth checking.
Milton was a sixth-round pick who spent last season in Dallas after a trade from New England. The Cowboys waived him at final cuts to claim a running back, then brought him back to the practice squad once he cleared waivers.
Seattle could sign him off that practice squad, but league rules would require the team to keep him on the 53-man roster for at least three games.
At 6-foot-5 with a strong arm and decent mobility, Milton still looks like a raw prospect who needs more snaps to polish his game. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer has noticed improvement.
“I think you see Joe learning is he’s playing quarterback. And he’s playing quarterback at a high level,” Schottenheimer said.
“He’s checking the ball down. He’s making blitz adjustments. He’s solving problems. He’s reading from his first, second to third, and even fourth progression at times. It takes time. You don’t stop learning as a quarterback. The only way to do it is to play. I’m really, really proud of him.”
Milton’s NFL résumé remains thin. He has played in five games over two seasons, completing 37 of 53 passes for 424 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
His best showing came in the 2024 Patriots finale, when he completed 22 of 29 throws for 241 yards and a score.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week that Milton “did some really great things for us” during camp and the preseason and that he is “better than he was this time last year.”
Lock gives Seattle an experienced option in the short term. He owns a 10-18 record as a starter across seven NFL seasons and appeared in five games for the Seahawks last year.
The front office could also look at other veterans who might become available.
Bleacher Report recently named several quarterbacks who could hit the market, including New Orleans Saints backup Spencer Rattler.
“The New Orleans Saints appear to have found their quarterback of the future in Tyler Shough,” Bleacher Report noted. “Shough’s rapid ascent coincided with Spencer Rattler falling out of favor in the Big Easy, opening the door for the third-year signal-caller to be traded this season.”
“Rattler had a rocky rookie season after the Saints selected him on Day 3 of the 2024 draft. He failed to win any of his six starts and only completed 57 percent of his throws, but wound up getting the first opportunity to start under new head coach Kellen Moore last season. While his accuracy noticeably improved, the results remained the same as Rattler won just one of his eight starts.”
Darnold finished one of two for 13 yards before the injury. The Seahawks were scoreless at that point.
Further imaging will show whether the hip issue is a short-term bruise or something that could sideline him longer.
Lock completed six of his first eight attempts for 51 yards in relief as Seattle tried to stay competitive.
Adding a young, inexpensive arm like Milton would give the champions extra insurance without disrupting the current depth chart much.
General manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald built a roster that just won a title. Quarterback continuity will matter if they want to stay in the conversation this season.
