Coming into the 2024 season, I thought the Seattle Seahawks had a fairly good quarterback situation with Geno Smith and Sam Howell as clear starter and backup. Part of that optimism grew out of the fact that I thought Howell had genuine potential to blossom. Last year, he was thrown into the deep end of the pool when he started every game for the Washington Commanders.
In 2023, Howell was not served well by an offensive strategy that had him throw the ball constantly despite an obvious lack of passing-game talent. The Commanders' offensive line had serious trouble at center and left guard. Howell did not have any genuine pass-catching threats beyond Terry McLaurin. Yet he still threw the ball a league-leading 612 times and was sacked a league-leading 65 times.
Still, Howell showed a lot in a difficult year. He was clearly very tough, constantly getting up from big hits and never revealing the least bit of anger or frustration. He ran when necessary. He showed off a big arm on multiple occasions. And for a while, he also showed improvement, cutting down on the sacks and making quicker reads in general.
Three quarterbacks the Seattle Seahawks could choose in the 2025 NFL draft to replace Sam Howell
Late in the season, Howell played through an injury that seemed to slow his progress, and his final month was not encouraging. Still, Sam Howell did more than enough to prove he deserved several more chances to make a mark in the NFL. Perhaps apprenticing under a vet like Geno Smith would be just the ticket.
That’s why his disastrous performance in relief of Smith against Green Bay was so disheartening. With an admittedly limited sample size, Howell’s numbers were dreadful. But more than the numbers, he simply didn’t look like he was prepared to play. He was tentative. That is a killer for any QB, and especially for a young one who clearly needs to gain experience and confidence.
I am certainly not prepared to give up on Howell after one very brief outing, no matter how bad it looked. But let’s be honest. It looked very bad. Bad enough to essentially force the Seahawks to bring in other QB prospects to at least challenge Howell for the backup role.
Mike Macdonald may decide to make more substantial changes this offseason. It is entirely possible that Geno Smith will not be the starting quarterback in Seattle come opening day, 2025. We will take a look at potential starting replacements at another time. For today, let’s consider several young quarterbacks Seattle might grab to compete with Howell as Geno’s backup in 2025. And today, let’s confine ourselves to the 2025 NFL draft.
This is not a highly-regarded class for QBs. Consensus opinion has Florida’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at the top of the class, and I would venture to say that those are the only two first-round caliber prospects available amongst all quarterbacks. It is entirely likely that other QBs will eventually be drafted in Round 1 because the value of signal callers has grown so inflated. The immediate impact of Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix will cause teams to see diamonds where maybe there’s just a garnet or amethyst.
That being the case – and since the Seahawks will not be in a position to take Ward or Sanders – I would hope they look much deeper. There will be QB prospects available on Day Three and perhaps even after the draft who are not far behind some of the QBs likely to be drafted higher, like Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers (should they declare for the draft).
Here are four QBs who Seattle might get on Day Three of the draft or beyond who could wind up posing a serious challenge to Sam Howell as the 2025 backup to Geno Smith (or whatever new QB the Hawks might acquire.)
Jaxson Dart – Mississippi
Dart could be gone by Day Three. Current projections have him generally being drafted between the third and fifth round and he could be a candidate for flying up the draft board as we approach the big day. Then again, he might also slip. That has happened too. Dart is almost the exact same size as Sam Howell but is a more fluid runner. He has a good arm, though it is not elite. In other words, Jaxson Dart does a lot of things well but doesn’t stand out in any one particular area.
Also like Howell, he was not as consistent in his final season as you’d like to see. Dart was very productive – breaking Eli Manning’s Ole Miss yardage record in his three years – but when teams shut down his running, Dart wasn’t always able to find ways to move the ball. That happened in losses to Kentucky and LSU in 2024.
Some GM could certainly fall in love with a player like Dart and grab him on Day 2 of the draft, but if he is around in the 4th round, he would merit strong consideration. Dart threw around 1,300 passes in college and improved his accuracy throughout his career. He is an ideal developmental QB who could apprentice under a player like Geno Smith for a season or two and then take over as a starter.
Kurtis Rourke – Indiana
No quarterback elevated his draft stock more than Rourke in 2024. He was at the heart of Indiana’s remarkable season. He has the size and arm to play at the next level immediately. The only question will be how well he can adapt to NFL-caliber defenses.
He had little trouble stepping up from dominating the MAC Conference to playing even better in the Big 10, but he still has only one year of elite-level competition on his resume, and he struggled against the two best teams he played in Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Rourke isn’t as fast or as agile as Josh Allen but he makes good decisions about when and where to run. Nor does he have Allen’s arm, but can still make just about every throw required. He is not the athlete that Allen is and is unlikely to get close to that level, but he can do a lot of the same things. One thing that may cause him to fall down draft boards is his age.
Rourke will be 25 midway through his rookie year and some teams will conclude he has already developed as much as he ever will. I don’t think that is true. I suspect there is still room for a fair amount of growth, and like Dart, Rourke could sit for a year and then evolve into a plus starter in the NFL.
Brady Cook – Missouri
Brady Cook will still be available in the later rounds of the draft. There’s a chance he doesn’t get drafted at all, though I suspect he’ll wind up going in Round Six. Cook started three straight years against SEC competition and was always efficient. He is a very good athlete who can run and make most throws. If there is a knock on Cook, it’s that he doesn’t have the monster arm that all GMs crave in their franchise QB.
That ultimately may put a ceiling on how good Cook can be. But he does everything else you would want to see. He reads defenses and makes smart decisions. He is usually decisive and productive when he chooses to run, but he is good at keeping his eyes downfield. Cook’s performance in the Music City Bowl was typical of his game.
He continually brought his team back, making big throws against Iowa every time it was needed, and eventually came out on top. Cook’s poise in tight games has been one of his best assets. He may not pose a serious challenge for a starting spot at the next level, but Cook could be an ideal backup who will be ready to play and will keep his team in games.
Cam Miller – North Dakota State
Miller started more than 50 games in college and threw for better than 9,000 yards while running for an additional 2,000. He threw just 19 interceptions in more than 1,000 passes. Like Brady Cook, he does not have obvious elite tools, but he used both his arms and legs to lead the Bison into the FCS Championship game in 2024.
In the semi-finals, Miller outdueled another highly-regarded FCS QB – Mark Gronowski of two-time defending FCS champion South Dakota State. Miller ran very effectively and made big throws to Bryce Lance, brother of NDSU legend Trey Lance.
Equally impressively, the 6’1” and 212-pound Miller got out in front on a reverse and went looking for a defender to block. Miller most likely will not hear his name called at the 2025 draft, but he could latch on as an undrafted free agent and impress coaches with his preparation and toughness.
