“I just think our guys did a great job,” Schneider said of the multiple trades happening so close together. “Nolan (Teasley), Trent (Kirchner), Matt (Berry), Willie (Schneider), Aaron (Hineline), those guys are on the phone. They’re communicating… That did move pretty quick, though. Nolan had stuff going on with other teams, too. It got a little funky there for a minute, but it was great, very smooth. Nobody panicked. Everybody kept it all together.
Macdonald, after watching those trades all unfold, said, “It’s impressive, like the alignment of what we’re trying to achieve. Someone that doesn’t really know what’s going on, you can be confused from some organized chaos. It’s just succinct, bing, bang, boom. We know what we’re trying to do. As offers came in, we definitely achieved the spirit of what we were trying to get, it felt like. That’s what gets you excited.”
When it came to the decision to trade Howell, last year’s backup quarterback, the conversations began in March at the NFL Annual Meeting, Schneider said. By that point the Seahawks were already working towards signing Drew Lock, and they also knew there was a chance they’d draft a quarterback, so an eventual trade, if everything fell into place, made sense both for Seattle and for Howell.
“It started at the owners meeting, talking with Rob Brzezinski and Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah), just about the situation, what it looked like,” Schneider said. “We had met with Drew (Lock) down there. There was a possibility to sign Drew back. We like the quarterbacks in the draft, and we thought there was a chance that might happen. There were several teams that were interested. Minnesota was a team that ended up pulling the trigger.”
Mills, the player the Seahawks selected with the pick they got back from Minnesota for Howell, Seattle got a versatile lineman that, as Macdonald noted, defensive coordinator Aden Durde really wanted.
“He’s a really good player,” Macdonald said, “If we wouldn’t have drafted him, I’m not sure if A.D. would have showed up for work on Monday… He’s got position flexibility for us, (in) base. He can play at least two spots. Then run four-down, our sub stuff. Playing inside. We’ll see how he plays the big ends, like a six-technique. The multiple gap things on early downs. Going through him and meeting him and talking football with him, seeing how he approaches the game, his approach with the rush, how they orchestrate their pass-rush games, it’s really impressive. Sounds like a five-, six-year vet. Compete for pass-rush snaps too.”