The Seattle Seahawks will be without Sam Darnold for the next couple of weeks.
The star passer went down early in Week 1, but the injury isn’t expected to be long-term, and the Seahawks won the game regardless. Drew Lock filled in admirably for Darnold, leading the team on a couple of scoring drives and avoiding turnovers.
There’s no doubt the team feels comfortable with Lock starting until Darnold returns. However, what’s the contingency plan for if something happens to Lock? Jalen Milroe is QB3 for the Seahawks, but he’s yet to attempt a pass in the NFL.
It seems entirely possible the team could add a more experienced passer to the room. General manager John Schneider has typically preferred to keep three quarterbacks in the building, so a temporary placeholder makes sense.
Today, let’s identify three available quarterbacks who would make the most sense as depth for the Seahawks.
Kyle Trask
Kyle Trask is currently a free agent after failing to make the final roster of the Panthers. Trask played in a couple of preseason games for the team after Haynes King got injured, and he delivered mixed results.
Trask doesn’t have much more regular season experience than Milroe, as he only has 11 career pass attempts. However, he was a productive SEC passer who was thought highly enough of to be a second-round pick.
Bailey Zappe
Technically, Bailey Zappe isn’t a free agent, as he’s on the practice squad of the New York Jets. However, the Western Kentucky product could be intrigued by the possibility of suiting up on gameday and playing for a Super Bowl winner, even if it is just for a few weeks.
Zappe has more experience than Trask, with nine starts under his belt. Zappe actually showed some promise with the Patriots, as he went 4-4 as the team’s starter. The former fourth-round pick would be a perfect emergency quarterback option.
Jake Browning
Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
The Seahawks could also bring Jake Browning home. Browning starred for the Washington Huskies from 2015-18 and threw for over 12,000 yards and 94 touchdowns while completing 64.6% of his passes and even earning Heisman votes in 2016.
Browning was most recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he failed to make the roster. Since then, Browning has been a free agent, so he would be a perfect option to bring in. The quarterback did not have good results in 2025 with the Bengals, but he wouldn’t be expected to start in Seattle anyway.
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