Joe Douglas assembled a collection of talent instead of a genuine Jets team

No matter what anybody thinks or feels about the Joe Douglas firing, there’s just one thing I ask …

Do not tell me he failed in the personnel department—at least not from a pure talent perspective.

Imagine assuming the New York Jets general manager position in 2019, with Chairman Woody Johnson in Donald Trump’s cabinet and Vice-Chairman Christopher Johnson at the helm. Then imagine doing so while demanding a six-year contract term, courtesy of realizing the entire scope of the situation.

The below table details the 2019 Jets starters:

Better yet, this table grades the Jets’ exact roster Douglas inherited when taking the job in June of 2019, per a 2022 Michael Nania article:

In short, it’s safe to say Douglas walked into a personnel nightmare. Simply understanding the franchise hadn’t drafted a second-round offensive lineman since 2010 (Vlad Ducasse) or a first-round big heavy since 2006 (D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold) is really the only evidence needed.

Besides, just a few minutes of research would have Douglas’s staunchest enemies befuddled in the NFL draft area. For instance, to think Douglas drafted poorly after checking out the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs’ past five drafts would be silly:

So, don’t you dare make the claim that Joe Douglas failed in the personnel department. (But again, include the “pure talent” tagline.)

Unfortunately, the big man failed in other areas, the aspects in which this organization really needed him.

“Oh, but Robby, what about Zach Wilson and Mekhi Becton? How could you say he succeeded in the personnel department after drafting those bums?”

My retort: Such is the life of an NFL general manager.

Talent evaluation is an imperfect science, and even the greatest organizations and personnel minds miss on talent. See Trey Lance in San Francisco, as, similarly to Douglas in New York, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan understood how easy it is to move on from a young quarterback in today’s financially-slotted NFL draft landscape.

By comparison, Joe Douglas evaluated, scouted, and ultimately drafted well for this franchise. Sure, he missed on several free agents and open-market ideas, but even free agency wasn’t a major deal from my perspective.

The former Jets front office boss lost his job due to one unforgivable mistake: He chose the wrong coaching vision. As a result, Douglas could only assemble a “collection of talent” instead of an “actual team.”

Missing on Robert Saleh meant an entire vision and organizational atmosphere gone awry. Instead of accountability, Douglas’s Jets players received free reign. Instead of buttoned-up fundamentals and attention to detail, Douglas’s Jets players received far too much freedom as young professionals.

Look up and down this depth chart; the roster is loaded in many regards.

Labeling the talent in the Jets organization as “overrated” is one thing—a perfectly acceptable thing—but remember that “overrated” does not mean “awful.” Whether it’s Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Sauce Gardner, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jermaine Johnson, Will McDonald, D.J. Reed, Joe Tippmann, Michael Carter II, or many other candidates, there’s a reason pundits considered the 2024 Jets to have a loaded depth chart.

And that reason deals with the work Joe Douglas did in his six years here.

Douglas departs New York with a putrid 30-64 record due to his failures in nearly every other aspect critical to leading a team’s football operation.

There’s no sport where coaching matters more than football, as it can literally be the difference between showcasing 11 individuals or a working unit of 11. Perhaps instead of allowing the coaching staff to influence certain personnel decisions that fit the scheme, Douglas should have asserted himself in an alpha way.

For instance, perhaps these words should have been spoken at some point …

“No, Robert; we’re not bringing in Javon Kinlaw because he fits your gap-attacking scheme, and we’re instead going with a more balanced, two-gap approach with a bigger body.”

Regarding how disgruntled players and trades materialized, I doubt Jets fans have much of a problem with Douglas’s tactics and overall execution. He handled the Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams situations pretty flawlessly, and much of the NFL world lauded him for those efforts.

He also set forth a vision that laid out the correct principles en route to building an organizational core that could sustain success over the long haul, as opposed to an easy-come, easy-go one or two-year wonder.

But his ultimate demise was due to his failure to identify the correct leadership for his players, coupled with the intricacies of asserting leadership from a front-office perspective.

Sure, the Aaron Rodgers acquisition and Woody Johnson’s return muddied the waters, but I don’t think either individual is the reason for Douglas’s departure. By the time both Rodgers and Mr. Johnson showed up, the Jets were still stuck in neutral—continuously parsing blame onto one unfortunate situation or the next (e.g., injuries, poor quarterback play, etc.).

The football diehards who painstakingly watch the film understand the deal. No matter the specific player or opponent, this team’s fundamentals have been sloppy for years. Worse yet, zero accountability has been felt by any one player under the Douglas-Saleh regime.

It’s a shame, really, because Douglas’s eye for talent and scouting bones are beyond apparent, which is why most fans that he was the guy for the job. In the end, thanks to everything but personnel, he wasn’t.

At the very least, the Jets’ current position is more enviable than that of the post-John Idzik and Mike Maccagnan situations. After all, there’s actual talent in the locker room this time around.

All New York Jets fans can do now is hope that the “guy after the guy” finally gets things right.