Sam Darnold suffered an injury during the Seattle Seahawks' opening drive in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. It was a difficult blow for a team that went into the game on a high after celebrating their Super Bowl win over New England to close out the previous season.

Darnold went to the medical tent after being sacked by Dre'Mont Jones on third down and then headed to the locker room for X-rays. He was eventually ruled out for the game, leaving Drew Lock as the quarterback for the remainder of the opener.

We will learn more soon about the length of time Darnold will miss. While he is out, Seattle is likely to lean on Lock as the starter, but they should be willing to look for some depth, especially since Jalen Milroe hasn't shown enough to hold down the No. 2 spot behind Lock. That's why they should be willing to bring in one of these three quarterbacks as insurance.

Joe Milton III

In need of a QB2 entering the 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys sent a late-round pick to the Patriots for Joe Milton III. He was inconsistent during his first season with Dallas, but looked vastly improved during the preseason. That included a great showing against Seattle, which saw Milton throw for 107 yards with one touchdown pass.

Despite his improved play, Milton was waived after Dallas claimed running back Emari Demercado. He was unclaimed on waivers and eventually re-signed with the Cowboys as a member of their practice squad. He can be signed off the squad, and the Seahawks could decide to kick the tires on the strong-armed quarterback who has an incredibly high ceiling.

Jimmy Garoppolo

Seattle offensive coordinator Brian Fleury spent seven years with the San Francisco 49ers, so it would make sense to look for someone who comes from that same offense. That's why Jimmy Garoppolo could be a free-agent target capable of adding some depth.

Jimmy G was once seen as the heir to Tom Brady with the Patriots, but was traded to San Francisco in 2017. Injuries derailed his career with the Niners, but he led them to a record of 38-17 as their starter and is 43-21 overall in his career, and is 4-2 in the postseason and led the 49ers to the Super Bowl following the 2019 season.

He spent the past two seasons as the backup with the Los Angeles Rams and could be willing to head back to the NFC West to partner with Fleury again.

J.J. McCarthy

Oddly enough, the Minnesota Vikings moved on from Sam Darnold to hand the keys to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. Now, McCarthy is expected to be on the trade block after losing the starting job to Kyler Murray. Making matters worse, McCarthy was demoted to QB3, meaning his days in Minnesota could be numbered.

McCarthy started 10 games last year and completed 57.6 percent of his attempts for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. He still has more questions than answers, but if Seattle wants someone with upside who could fill in as a starter if needed, McCarthy is an inriguing option.

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