In many ways, New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey is walking into a better situation than Joe Douglas did six years ago.
That doesn’t mean Douglas should’ve stayed with the team after six consecutive losing seasons.
Douglas’ 30-64 record as New York’s top executive speaks for itself. He struggled to find the right quarterback, could never fix the offensive line, and failed to locate a head coach who could lead the team through tough times.
Throughout Douglas’ six-year run with the Jets starting in 2019, the organization has been taught many lessons on roster construction and front office etiquette. These are lessons Mougey can take to help the current iteration of Gang Green excel.
Solidify Trenches…On Both Sides of The Ball
Douglas could just never get the trenches right. It is honestly impressive how weird it got.
Originally, New York had built a very talented defensive line through shrewd picks and signings. They were one of the better teams in pressure rate for most of Douglas’ tenure.
Throughout that time, though, the Jets’ offensive line was consistently one of the worst in football. The organization whiffed on most of its free agents and draft picks.
Then, just when the Jets were finally making some progress along the offensive line, the defensive line took massive hits on departures orchestrated by Douglas. Whether it was trading John Franklin-Myers, allowing Bryce Huff to walk, or miscalculating the Haason Reddick trade, Douglas allowed a once-proud Jets defensive line to crumble.
Mougey needs to learn quickly: the trenches matter more than most other position groups in the league. Both of them.
Stay Aggressive
Douglas had his moments of aggressiveness. He just never followed through when it mattered most.
Staying aggressive is how the Jets were able to acquire Aaron Rodgers. It’s also how they were able to maneuver the draft to select Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson, and Breece Hall within the first 40 picks of the 2022 draft.
The issue? When the moment called for aggression during the regular season, the Jets did not answer the call. Douglas was late to react to pressing roster needs that emerged, whether it was the Jets’ desperation for a new kicker in 2024 or their need for a new backup quarterback after Aaron Rodgers’ injury.
If the Jets want to get aggressive in the offseason, that’s perfectly fine. But Mougey must understand the value of staying aggressive through the full calendar year. The work does not stop when the games actually begin.
Get QB Right
Here’s the underlying issue that eventually gets all top executives fired.
When Douglas was given a top-three pick in Sam Darnold, he failed to build a competent roster around him to show what the USC signal-caller could be. Instead of building a competent roster around the quarterback, Douglas threw Darnold to the wolves in 2020. Then, Douglas traded Darnold the first chance he got, and simply drafted another quarterback with a top-two pick in Zach Wilson.
Following the Wilson pick, Douglas surrounded him with the kind of weapons Darnold never got. It didn’t work out because Wilson was the wrong quarterback.
Douglas made all the wrong moves at the quarterback position. While hindsight is certainly 20:20 (most of the GM’s moves were celebrated at the time they were made), his failings at the most important position are why he has taken a measly scouting job in Philly.
And not with New York.
