Jalen Milroe's 20-Yard Scramble Highlights Seahawks Preseason Opener Loss to Cowboys

On Saturday, August 15, 2026, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe flashed the dual-threat ability that made him a 2025 third-round pick, rushing five times for 36 yards — capped by a highlight 20-yard scramble — in a 17-7 preseason-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field. Milroe completed 5 of 8 passes for 36 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, while veteran Drew Lock started and threw a first-quarter touchdown before Dallas rallied with 17 unanswered points.

Super Bowl-winning starter Sam Darnold and most established Seahawks starters rested, as head coach Mike Macdonald had signaled before kickoff. The night instead centered on Seattle’s backup quarterback rotation and Milroe’s second-year development behind a contender that returns nearly intact from its 2025 title run.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from Seattle Seahawks.com, ESPN, NFL.com, AP News, and Sports Illustrated coverage, August 15, 2026.

How the game unfolded

Detail	Information
Date	Saturday, August 15, 2026
Venue	Lumen Field, Seattle, Wash.
Week	NFL Preseason Week 1
National TV	NFL Network
Final	Cowboys 17, Seahawks 7
Quarter lines	SEA 7-0-0-0, DAL 0-10-7-0

Seattle struck first. Drew Lock directed a 13-play, 80-yard opening drive and hit Montorie Foster Jr. on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Jason Myers’ extra point gave the Seahawks a 7-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first quarter.

Dallas answered in the second quarter. Kicker Brandon Aubrey connected from 29 yards to cut the deficit to 7-3, then Sam Howell found Camden Brown on a 39-yard touchdown strike — 10-7 Cowboys at halftime.

The Cowboys pulled away after the break. Joe Milton III hit Brown again, this time from 2 yards out, capping a 13-play, 84-yard drive that made it 17-7 with 7:19 remaining in the third quarter. Neither team scored in the fourth.

Milroe’s rushing showcase

Milroe entered after Lock and immediately brought mobility Seattle’s offense had been eager to unlock in his second season.

His signature play came on a designed or broken-pocket run when he broke into the open field for a 20-yard gain — the kind of burst that defined his college career at Alabama, where he finished with 7,593 career total yards, fifth-most in school history.

Earlier in the night, Milroe converted a third down with an 11-yard sideline scramble, tip-toeing along the boundary to move the chains. He also took a 4-yard sack from Cowboys linebacker James Houston and was dropped three times overall for 27 yards lost, finishing with a 72.9 passer rating.

Jalen Milroe	Stat line
Passing	5/8, 36 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing	5 att, 36 yards, long 20, 0 TD
Sacks taken	3 for 27 yards
Fumbles	1 (recovered)

Milroe’s 7.2 yards per carry led Seattle rushers and matched his passing yardage on far fewer touches. Running back George Holani paced the ground game with 12 carries for 42 yards in a night that produced just 156 total net yards for the home team.

Seahawks quarterback rotation

Macdonald confirmed Friday that established starters would not play against Dallas and that Lock and Milroe would rotate rather than follow the traditional preseason pattern of one quarterback playing until the backup closes.

“Drew needs a lot of game work as well,” Macdonald said during camp, per Sports Illustrated. “Everybody needs work. … I think we might take a little bit of a different approach this year on how we play our quarterbacks.”

Lock started and finished 9 of 13 for 40 yards and the lone Seahawks touchdown. Seattle’s passing attack as a whole managed only 76 receiving yards — Montorie Foster Jr. led with 5 catches for 36 yards and a score.

Milroe’s preseason workload matters because he did not attempt a pass in three regular-season appearances as a rookie in 2025, learning behind Darnold and Lock on a Super Bowl-bound roster. Entering Year 2, he is competing with Lock — Darnold’s backup last season — for the No. 2 job on a team that still views Darnold as the clear starter after back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and a championship.

Camp observers had noted improved throws from Milroe during 2026 training camp compared with his rookie summer, when he worked mostly with third-team units. Saturday offered his first live test against an NFL defense with more established offensive pieces around him.

Cowboys backups control the second half

Dallas rested its starters as well and still outgained Seattle 318 yards to 156, winning the time-of-possession battle 27:52 to 27:05 despite 13 penalties for 103 yards.

Dallas passing	CP/ATT	YDS	TD
Joe Milton III	12/15	107	1
Sam Howell	8/12	94	1

Camden Brown was the night’s top receiver with 3 catches for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the 39-yard bomb from Howell that flipped the lead before halftime.

Aubrey added a 29-yard field goal and went 2-for-2 on extra points. Dallas committed costly mistakes — three fumbles, one lost — but Seattle could not capitalize after its opening touchdown drive.

Where Milroe fits in Seattle’s 2026 plans

The Seahawks drafted Milroe at No. 92 overall in 2025 — their first quarterback selected above the seventh round since Russell Wilson in 2012 — betting on his athletic ceiling in an offense now coordinated by Brian Fleury.

Macdonald, who came from Baltimore’s staff that featured Lamar Jackson, has publicly embraced finding ways to use Milroe’s legs without turning him into a gadget-only player. The dual-threat package is especially relevant in a post-Kenneth Walker III era when Seattle has reshaped its backfield.

Milroe told reporters at the Super Bowl that competition drives him — “when it’s my time, I’ve had success” — but his Year 2 mandate is clearer: show pocket growth, limit turnovers, and prove he belongs on a roster built to defend a title.

Saturday’s scrambles checked the athletic box. The three sacks and a quiet passing line underscored the work still ahead if he is to overtake Lock, a veteran with 21 career starts across four franchises.

What comes next

Seattle continues preseason play on the road against Kansas City before closing exhibition action at home. Macdonald has hinted Darnold could see limited snaps in the second preseason game, while Milroe is expected to handle a significant share of the remaining exhibition reps — potentially including more time on “Hard Knocks,” which is following the Seahawks this summer.

Preseason results do not carry into September. For Milroe, though, the 20-yard burst and third-down conversion were the kind of plays that travel on highlight reels and in coaching meetings — even on a night Seattle’s offense stalled after a fast start.

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Discussion

Saturday at Lumen Field gave Jalen Milroe the stage Macdonald promised — and a final score that reminded everyone this was still August.

1. Milroe’s legs produced the night’s most memorable plays, but Drew Lock threw the only Seahawks touchdown. In a backup quarterback competition on a Super Bowl contender, does one preseason game tilt the depth chart — or is Lock’s veteran steadiness still the safer No. 2 behind Sam Darnold?

2. Seattle has talked openly about using Milroe’s athleticism in packages beyond traditional drop-back passing. After five carries for 36 yards against Dallas, how much live-game usage is enough to develop him without turning a title window into a long-term experiment?

Tell us whether Milroe’s scrambles changed how you view his Year 2 role — or if Lock’s opening-drive touchdown still settles the backup question.

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