The Seahawks have Darnold leading the way, but is the room strong enough behind him?
One of the big storylines for the Seattle Seahawks last season was the play of Sam Darnold, as he led the franchise to a Super Bowl win.
With all the narratives ended after Darnold played superb football when his team needed him the most, now we look ahead to 2026 to see if that can be replicated.
But as we know, things rarely go to plan in the NFL, and the Seahawks had a good run with injuries at quarterback last year, with Darnold playing all 17 regular-season games for the second straight season.
Can we bank on that happening again? Logic would say that Sam is likely to miss a game or two here and there, and it is here where the Seahawks' quarterback room comes into focus.
Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe are the ones who make up the room. Is that good enough?
For ESPN's Brady Henderson, when asked about the standing of the quarterback position as it pertains to the NFC West, thinks Seattle is in decent enough shape.
"The Rams have the best quarterback in the NFC West, but Seattle's quarterback situation as a whole is a strong one," Henderson wrote. "Darnold just turned 29 and is only two seasons into his second act as a starter, which suggests his best football might still be ahead of him after two straight Pro Bowl nods and one Super Bowl win.
"In Drew Lock, Seattle has an experienced and capable backup. It remains to be seen if third-stringer Jalen Milroe can find a role in specialty packages after hardly playing as a rookie in 2025."
The big question is if Darnold goes down with injury and Lock is forced to step in for a couple of games, can he keep Seattle afloat?
In his six seasons, Lock has a 10-18 record. The last time he started a run of games was with the New York Giants in 2024, when he went 1-4.
But the Seahawks roster, as it is constructed, gives Lock a good offensive line and impressive weapons, not to mention one of the league's best defenses.
Milroe is very much a work in progress, so Lock would get the nod if Darnold goes down. Lock can win a game or two if needed, but if he is to start a handful of games, things could get wobbly.
For Seahawks fans, they hope Darnold has a good run with the football gods and plays all 17 games again.
Because the quarterback room is good, but not that good.
