John Schneider: Drew Lock’s return ‘doesn’t preclude’ Seahawks from drafting quarterback

One week until the NFL Draft. Will the Seattle Seahawks draft a quarterback for only the third time since John Schneider became general manager in 2010? The return of backup Drew Lock may have been a little hint of what Seattle intends to do next week, but it’s hardly a definitive sign that the Seahawks will sit this class out (again).

In his weekly radio appearance on Seattle Sports 710, Schneider addressed the current quarterback room, which consists of Drew Lock, Sam Howell, Jaren Hall, and starter Sam Darnold.

“It doesn’t preclude us from doing anything in the draft either, in figuring out what’s going on there,” Schneider said. “It’s really like an, ‘Okay, let’s get this in the mix.’ Drew had other opportunities, so we figured we better wrap this up, kind of put a bow on it, get him in the building and then let’s see what happens in the draft, because it’s difficult to find that great fit at quarterback as you move through the process.

“So really excited to have all four of those guys. In particular to have Sam Howell and Drew kind of competing for that second spot is a pretty good deal for us.”

Not a surprising statement given no GM is going to give away their plans that publicly and overtly. Hall would be the longest odds to be on the active roster given his lack of starting experience, whereas Lock, Howell, and Darnold have all been full-time starters for at least one season. Lock’s two-year deal looks like it could spell bad news for Howell on his expiring (and non-guaranteed) rookie contract, but Schneider admits that the Ryan Grubb offense put Howell in a difficult situation.

“Sam [Howell] was put in a very hard spot last year,” Schneider said. “He comes in, he’s learning a new system—the year before I think he led the league in attempts and they didn’t run the ball at all. We loved the toughness and everything. Comes in, learns a whole new system that was heavy, heavy dropback and gets thrown into the game where we’re behind. We’re throwing the ball every play (and are) backed up. It didn’t go well for him. He would admit that, probably from a preparation standpoint too.

“But he wasn’t put in a great spot. And I think all of us, and Sam included, would say, okay, last year’s just a wash, man. Let’s put that aside. Let’s get back in a pro-style system, a proven system, because he can move.”

Schneider hinted that it’s possible the Seahawks could roster three quarterbacks this season, something they’ve rarely done over the last 15 seasons. It’s hard not to think that, at the moment, it’s Darnold and Lock as QB1 and QB2 respectively. Howell is still very much on shaky ground with this decision, and if the Seahawks do draft a QB reasonably high up the order it’s extremely unlikely that Howell will be on the roster much longer.

Watch the full video below.