With Joe Douglas in the midst of his first offseason as Jets general manager, he’s still trying to build a sustainable contender despite having already made some upgrades to the roster.
With free agency mostly in the rearview mirror, Douglas now has his sights on the draft and then the regular season. Douglas opened up Wednesday on a conference call to discuss the moves he’s already made, the ones he’s looking at making down the road and updates on some of the biggest questions facing the Jets this year.
Here are the biggest takeaways from his call.
Douglas’ free agency approach
Joe Douglas said he went into free agency with essentially two plans: 1) to fill as many holes as he could and 2) be “strategic and disciplined” with his signings. He did a solid job of executing by signing a bevy of offensive linemen and linebackers while shoring up cornerback and replacing Robby Anderson with Breshad Perriman, all without breaking the bank.
This plan also explains why he handed out 10 one-year contracts and only three multi-year deals with minimal guarantees after this season. Douglas explained that the 2020 market wasn’t right for big contracts and now the Jets will have lots of “flexibility in the draft” with four picks in the first three rounds.
Uncertainty around the draft
With the coronavirus pandemic forcing everyone to work from home, the NFL draft is now in a precarious situation. Teams haven’t been allowed to access their facilities and it’s unlikely they will open up before the draft later this month.
Douglas said the Jets, like many other NFL teams, are holding their draft meetings with coaches, the personnel staff and potential draftees virtually and may have to do that for the actual draft. Douglas hasn’t picked a location for the Jets to make their draft picks but hopes they’ll be able to use their team facilities by the time April 25 rolls around.
O-line preference?
The Jets have a few different directions they can head with the No. 11 pick in the draft. Many pundits and analysts are split between the Jets taking a wide receiver or an offensive lineman with their first-round pick, but Douglas may have tipped his hat less than a month before making his first pick as Jets GM.
“I think there’s a real shortage of quality offensive linemen in the NFL,” he said, “so we’re going to do our best to get as many quality ones as we can because you can never have too many.”
This could also be a smokescreen for the draft, a hint on Brian Winters’ future with the team or just a comment on the Jets’ decision to sign four linemen this offseason. Either way, Douglas – who is a former college offensive lineman –will have a lot to think about with that pick in the coming weeks.
“Due diligence” on Diggs and Hopkins
The Jets haven’t had a big-name wide receiver in quite some time and two of the best have already been traded this offseason. The Bills acquired Stefon Diggs from the Vikings and the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals. Douglas said the Jets did their “due diligence” with both players, but clearly, those discussions never went far considering what the Bills and Cardinals gave up.
Both players commanded massive hauls, as Diggs cost a first, fourth, fifth and sixth, while Hopkins and a fourth-round pick shipped for running back David Johnson, a second and a fourth. The Jets could have met either price, but it would have tanked the draft flexibility Douglas touted.
A promise to Darnold’s parents
Douglas acknowledged how important protecting Sam Darnold is to the future of the Jets. He even said he promised Darnold’s parents to do “everything in my power” to surround him with capable linemen and offensive weapons this upcoming season.
Though he didn’t splurge on the biggest free agents, Douglas did hand out $34.7 million in guaranteed money to offensive linemen George Fant, Connor McGovern and Greg Van Roten. He also replaced Robby Anderson – Darnold’s favorite target from the past two seasons – with the speedy Breshad Perriman. Douglas spent time scouting Perriman for the Ravens.
Injury updates for Mosley and Enunwa
The Jets need C.J. Mosley healthy after he missed almost all of the 2019 season with a groin injury. Douglas didn’t offer much in the way of clarity on Mosley, only that he was “progressing well” in his recovery. Mosley is the leader of the Jets front-seven and will be critical to the defense’s success in 2020.
There is even more ambiguity surrounding wide receiver Quincy Enunwa. Douglas said the Jets are “still going through the process” with Enunwa and he’s “a big question mark” heading into the 2020 season as he continues to recover from his second season-ending neck injury in three years. Enunwa would be a great receiver for Darnold and the Jets, but not if he isn’t healthy.
Jamal Adams extension update
The Jets opened up talks with Adams about a contract extension earlier this year, but so far nothing more has come of those preliminary discussions. Douglas said, “nothing has really changed on our end” since the NFL combine.
Douglas said in the past he wants to make Adams “a Jet for life” but he doesn’t seem to be in too big of a rush. That’s okay, though, considering Adams still has another year left on his rookie contract and the Jets have until May 3 to pick up his fifth-year option. The Jets can also place the franchise tag on Adams if they can’t reach an extension after his contract runs out.
