Seattle Seahawks Announce Sam Darnold Decision Before Cowboys Game

The Seattle Seahawks won’t need to risk Sam Darnold in their first preseason game.

Head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed that Darnold will not play when the Seahawks host the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, August 15, as Seattle plans to keep many of its established starters on the sideline.

That decision leaves the quarterback snaps to Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe — and gives the Seahawks a chance to conduct a more meaningful evaluation behind their established QB1.

“A lot of our established starters won’t be playing,” Macdonald told reporters after Friday’s practice. Macdonald said those players will participate in warmups before sitting out the game.

For Darnold, there isn’t much Seattle needs to discover in a preseason opener. The veteran is coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl season and helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship last season.

Saturday instead becomes an opportunity to learn more about the quarterbacks behind him.

Drew Lock Will Start, But Seahawks Have Different Plan for Jalen Milroe

Macdonald said Lock will open the game at quarterback, but Seattle isn’t planning the usual preseason progression in which one quarterback plays his allotted snaps and then gives way permanently to the next.

Lock and Milroe are expected to rotate.

“The quarterbacks, we’re going to rotate in some form or fashion,” Macdonald said. He explained that the approach should allow both quarterbacks to play alongside different offensive units.

That could be especially valuable for Milroe.

A third-round selection in the 2025 NFL draft, Milroe spent much of his rookie preseason operating with Seattle’s third-team offense. His opportunities have expanded during his second training camp, with the young quarterback taking snaps alongside more established offensive players.

Macdonald has made it clear that he wants to see Milroe carry that progress into a game.

“I’m excited to see him go rip it,” Macdonald said. “He’s really improved his game.”

Rather than asking Milroe to replicate Darnold’s style, Macdonald said he wants the young quarterback to play his own brand of football.

The Cowboys game gives him his first significant opportunity of 2026 to do exactly that.

Sam Darnold Decision Shifts Focus of Seahawks’ Preseason Opener

Darnold sitting is also part of a larger Seattle plan.

Macdonald indicated that many established starters on both sides of the ball will be held out of the preseason opener. That means the matchup will be less about assessing the core of a roster coming off a championship season and more about sorting through competitions deeper on the depth chart.

Quarterback is an ideal example.

Lock gives Seattle an experienced option behind Darnold, while Milroe remains one of the roster’s most intriguing developmental players. Giving both quarterbacks work with multiple combinations of teammates should provide the coaching staff with a better evaluation than a rigid first-half/second-half split.

It also gives Seahawks fans a reason to pay close attention even with Darnold and other stars watching from the sideline.

There should be little uncertainty about who Seattle’s starting quarterback will be when the games count. Saturday is about finding out more about the options Macdonald has behind him.

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