Alabama Crimson Tide fans haven’t seen former quarterback Jalen Milroe in a game of substance in quite a while. That could be about to change in a big way with the Seattle Seahawks.

Milroe has spent the past two seasons in Seattle, and he has been impressive in the preseason. He has shown the ability to layer the football, he has made some incredible throws, and he still has the dynamic running ability that made him a weekly highlight in Tuscaloosa. The problem has never been talent. It has been opportunity.

Why Jalen Milroe hasn’t seen the field in Seattle

The Seahawks’ quarterback room hasn’t left much room for a young player to climb. Sam Darnold, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, is the starter, and Drew Lock has held down the backup job. With two veterans ahead of him, Milroe simply wasn’t going to get much run.

Well, the situation in Seattle just took a turn. Darnold did not play Sunday, so Lock came in to run the offense. Now Lock may be banged up himself.

As Seattle Times reporter Bob Condotta shared on X:

“Mike MacDonald says Drew Lock suffered an oblique injury and it’s up in the air if he’ll be available next week.

Some rumblings surfaced before Sunday that Milroe might get the start, or at least see the field. He did not. However, with Darnold already out of the lineup and Lock’s status uncertain, a lot of signs now point to Milroe as a potential starter against the Las Vegas Raiders. Nothing is official, and Seattle will have to make a decision as the week plays out. On top of that, the Seahawks may still get one of their veterans back in time.

Even so, Milroe has never been closer to meaningful snaps in Seattle than he is right now.

What Alabama fans should expect from Milroe?

I think a lot of Alabama fans would love to see what a Milroe start looks like. There is no question he was, at times, the best player on the field for the Crimson Tide. When he got loose as a runner, few defenders in the SEC could handle him.

That being said, there were also stretches where he simply wasn’t good enough throwing the ball downfield. Those inconsistencies were real, and they followed him into the pre-draft process.

When a new coaching staff arrived in Tuscaloosa, Milroe got more structure around him in terms of pure quarterback play. He became a better dropback passer and a better processor, and that growth showed up in his final season at Alabama.

Now, pair that development with a couple of years in an NFL quarterback room, learning behind veterans and sharpening his game in practice and the preseason. That combination is why a potential start against Las Vegas carries so much intrigue. Milroe isn’t the same raw prospect who left Alabama. On paper, he should be a more complete quarterback, and the preseason flashes back that up.

To be fair to Milroe, a spot start on short notice is never an ideal evaluation. He would be stepping into an offense built around Darnold, with limited first-team reps during the week. One game won’t define his career, good or bad.

Still, for a player who has spent two seasons waiting, this is the kind of window that can change a career. If Lock can’t go and Seattle hands Milroe the keys, he will finally get the chance to show what he has learned since leaving Tuscaloosa. Alabama fans, and plenty of others around the league, will be watching closely.