1st on-field impressions of the Seahawks' all-new QBs Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe

Yahoo

2 days ago

It's early June. The season doesn't start for another three-plus months.
So yes, they are mere first impressions.
Then again, that's what everything is about the Seahawks' offense right now. Specifically at the sport's most important position.
Seattle's all-new quarterbacks were on the field in an open practice Monday, for the first time since the team completely remodeled the position and offense in March. The new QBs had varied performances the first time throwing on the field as Seahawks in front of reporters.
Clear starter Sam Darnold threw two interceptions in three red-zone plays. Pro Bowl safety Julian Love jumped a hook route in the back of the end zone by new wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the former Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl MVP from Yakima. Then cornerback Josh Jobe, getting time as the starting right cornerback when Devon Witherspoon played inside at nickel defensive back, dived inside Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the sideline to intercept Darnold's pass into the end zone.
Darnold's starting offense struggled to the point new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak let Darnold know about it, loudly, as the QB stood in the huddle between plays. The starting defense loved that.
Darnold is coming off a 14-3 Vikings season that earned him a three-year, $100.5 million contract days. He signed that in March, days after Seattle traded Geno Smith to Pete Carroll's Las Vegas Raiders.
Witherspoon was asked after practice Monday for his impression of Darnold the Seahawks versus what the Pro Bowl cornerback saw on film studying Darnold to prepare for the Seahawks playing the Vikings late last season.
'You know, he's got his strengths, he's got his weaknesses — like every quarterback,' Witherspoon said.
'Now that he's on our team, he's going to go out there and make a lot of plays for us. We put a lot of trust in him, and I believe he's going to deliver.'
Asked about Kupp as a Ram versus now having the veteran wide receiver as a Seahawks teammate, Witherspoon smiled.
'Now, that's different,' Witherspoon said. 'Just to get to line up against him and to see him every day in practice, the way he can run routes and make everything look the same, it's a good diversity.
'And then you've got Jaxon on the other side, I think that's going to help us a way lot better at corner.'
Drew Lock, Darnold's backup, looked particularly sharp Monday. In his fourth offseason practice since the 28-year-old former Denver Broncos starter signed back with the Seahawks following a season as a New York Giants backup, Lock threw touchdown passes on two consecutive plays inside the 5-yard line.
His dart of a throw stuck onto the outstretched hands of Cody White. The leaping wide receiver caught the ball past cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett at the back of the end zone. Lock pumped his right arm three times to celebrate that.
Then Lock threw a touchdown pass inside the goal line to end an out route by rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo. Arroyo, the second-round pick from Miami, was mostly with the second offense Monday, though he did get some scrimmage plays with Darnold and the starters in substitution packages at receiver. Arroyo had multiple passes go off his hands incomplete.
During 11-on-11 scrimmaging in the middle of the field, the right-handed Lock rolled to his left. He turned his shoulders and threw across his body on a line 25 yards down the field to the left sideline. Steven Sims, the veteran wide receiver signed this offseason as a free agent from the Baltimore Ravens, caught the ball and got the tips of both cleats inside the left sideline.
Lock's throw had Seahawks general manager John Schneider walking from the sideline to in front of the portable video screen that shows replays of plays in practice. The GM exclaimed his wonder at the throw.
Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe, the third-round pick from Alabama last month, was way off on his first throw of the red-zone scrimmaging. His pass sailed 3 yards over the head of open wide receiver Ricky White beyond the back line of the end zone. On the next play, cornerback JT Woods reached in front of Arroyo and broke up a pass into the middle of the end zone.
Milroe also missed behind receivers during 11-on-11 scrimmaging.
Again, it's a first impression. But the day was an indication of Milroe's reputation entering the NFL: a potentially lethal runner at 6 feet 2 and 216 pounds, who rushed for 35 touchdowns and ran over linebackers his final two seasons at Alabama — and a project quarterback who needs to improve the fundamentals of his throwing.