Jets GM Joe Douglas has franchise moving in right direction, but there's still a lot of work to be done
Jets GM Joe Douglas speaks to the media during a press conference at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J., on June 11, 2019. Credit: Brad Penner
Joe Douglas has turned over roughly half the roster left behind by Mike Maccagnan, so the Jets’ general manager still has a long journey ahead in his ambitious rebuilding project. And while the job remains incomplete, things at least feel somewhat hopeful.
The fruits of the overhaul may not be reaped for a while yet – let’s face it, this doesn’t feel like a playoff team in 2020 – but Douglas’ patient hand in recasting the team is based in sound football logic and should eventually pan out.
It seems more a case of when, not if.
The 44-year-old Douglas has been on the job just for just 15 months, but already the team is being built with the vision he expressed upon being hired.
“I feel like we’ve been on the same page in getting the right type of people in this building,” Douglas said Monday. “You started to see that come to fruition in this camp.”
But this herculean job is not close to being finished.
“The process is going to be ongoing,” he said. “We’re never going to be satisfied with where we are.”
But through intelligent planning, augmented by a sound decision to part ways with Jamal Adams for a king’s ransom in exchange for a player who clearly didn’t want to be here, Douglas has done yeoman’s work so far in setting a reliable foundation. The 2020 offseason was a major step in that process, starting with Douglas’ move to deal Adams to the Seahawks in exchange for two first-round picks and solid veteran safety Bradley McDougald. He drafted a franchise left tackle in Mekhi Becton and a smart, ball-hawking safety in Ashtyn Davis. Second-round receiver Denzel Mims was a stud at Baylor, and while a hamstring injury kept him out of training camp, he should be ready soon.
Fourth-round running back La'Mical Perine looks like he’ll fit in well. And 37-year-old running back Frank Gore is as good a leader as there is in the game.
And, perhaps most importantly, Douglas achieved his goal of retooling an offensive line that was at the heart of the Jets’ offensive woes last year. Becton’s selection came after Douglas brought in tackle George Fant, guard Greg Van Roten and center Connor McGovern, who joined incumbent guard Alex Davis, a Douglas waiver claim last year.
Douglas is as meat-and-potatoes as a general manager can get, and his insistence on building from the inside out is fundamental to his thinking. He has done just that with the offensive line, although it will clearly take time for this unit to jell, especially with no offseason and no preseason games.
“I’ve been impressed with the professionalism and maturity and mentality that our offensive line has shown,” Douglas said.
But Douglas still has a ways to go, and he knows it. The Jets still don’t have a legitimate pass rush. Cornerback is thin. And the receiving group is a work in progress – at best. Jamison Crowder is terrific in the slot, but Breshad Perriman’s chronic knee problems are back. And with Mims missing camp with the leg injury, this will not be easy. Douglas can only hope emerging tight end Chris Herndon and Le’Veon Bell can boost the passing game.
It’s not an ideal scenario for third-year quarterback Sam Darnold, who has had to deal with a revolving cast of teammates and must do so again. He doesn’t complain and accepts the challenge, but this is Douglas’ greatest challenge – to build a reliable group of players around Darnold while the quarterback is still young.
It’s a tricky process, but the GM seems up to the job. Now it’s a matter of how long it takes to reach the ultimate destination.
“Everyone’s goal,” he said, “is to be holding up the [Vince Lombardi] Trophy at the end of the year.”
That time is not now, of course. But it does feel just a bit closer than it did before Douglas got here.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
