On the surface, safety Bradley McDougald looked like a throw-in for the blockbuster Jamal Adams trade. The Seahawks sent him, along with two first-round picks and a third-round pick, to the Jets for Adams and fourth-rounder.
But in reality, McDougald is the only immediate return the Jets will see on their decision to jettison Adams – and he should be an important piece of the Jets’ new defense in 2020. McDougald talked to the media Friday about the trade, his role on the Jets, and his recruitment of free agent edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
Here are the biggest takeaways from his introduction to the New York media.
On being traded to the Jets
The trade that sent McDougald to the Jets came as a surprise for the safety. McDougald said he wasn’t initially excited to be traded – because he felt like the Seahawks were giving up on him, not because he was sent to the Jets – but soon felt better about the move.
“At first, I was kind of struck,” he said. “I felt abandoned like they just kicked me out – like they didn’t care about me or value me there. But then I started to think about how much of a blessing this was and another opportunity. You know, it’s actually a better space for me to be in.”
McDougald started thinking about the positives associated with the move to New York and playing on the Jets.
“I’m not the first guy to ever get traded and I’m not going to be the last guy to get traded to a team,” McDougald said. “So I had no time to feel sorry for myself or focus on anything negative other than just coming into a new program, earning my respect from the players and the coaches, and go out there and being the best me in New York.”
Won’t try to be Adams
McDougald will undoubtedly be compared to Adams this season. He’s poised to take Adams’ starting spot on the Jets roster and will be tasked with holding down the deep secondary of the defense. But McDougald isn’t concerned with the comparisons or trying to replace Adams. He said his experience in Seattle – where he came in after two veteran safeties left– helped him realize he just has to play his game.
“This isn’t me here to replace Jamal,” he said. “This is me here as a fresh start, just the same way I couldn’t be Kam [Chancellor] and I couldn’t be Earl [Thomas] — but I still found a way to be successful (in Seattle).”
McDougald isn’t the same player as Adams. Not by a longshot. He knows this, Gregg Williams knows this, and the Jets didn’t trade for him to be Adams-lite. McDougald will change the way the Jets defense operates, but because he’s a different player.
“I can’t be Jamal. I’m not the same person as Jamal,” he continued. “The only thing I can do is show up every day and be the best Bradley McDougald. And then hopefully that wins my coaches, my players and the fans over. And that’s who I intend on being and why I’m here.”
The intensity of Gregg Williams
McDougald got a taste of Gregg Williams’ coaching style almost immediately. He described his first phone call with the Jets’ defensive coordinator as “intense” because of how excited Williams sounded.
“He’s an intense coach,” McDougald said. “One of the things he said he will do is he forms his defenses around his players. He puts us in the best situations depending on our skillset.”
McDougald touted his “versatility” on defense and Williams should enjoy toying with that as he adapts the Jets defense. That’s a great prospect for a player with such a diverse skillset and for someone who can play multiple positions on defense.
“That’s exciting that a coach has flexibility within his defense,” McDougald continued. “He doesn’t have a strict defense that you just have to fall in line and play in. He’ll plug guys in different places and I can appreciate that as a player.”
On Clowney and the Jets
Days after he FaceTimed former Seahawks teammate and current free agent Jadeveon Clowney and said he’d “definitely go to bat” for him if the Jets were interested, McDuoglad doubled down.
“I’d love to have him here,” McDougald said. “I know the type of player Jadeveon is. He wants to be in a camp somewhere. At this point in his career, he does want money, but he wants to play as well.
“If a team comes with the right offer and they approach him the right way, it could be very possible that he could be a Jet.”
Whether or not the Jets should pursue Clowney is the main question, though. Joe Douglas insinuated earlier this offseason that he does his due diligence on everyone, but ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported the Jets have no real interest in signing Clowney.
