3 things to know about Jets GM Joe Douglas

The Jets finally hired Joe Douglas to be their new general manager on Friday, and fans should be excited to have him.

The Mike Maccagnan era is over in New York, and things are looking bright for the Jets in the future. Christopher Johnson hired former Eagles Vice President of Player Personnel Joe Douglas to be the new general manager, and Jets Nation should be excited.

When a team hires a new head coach, you know what to expect from him. You can watch his play calling, look at his record and how he went about business as a coach. It’s simple to find out what you should expect to see. Scouting a new general manager is a different story.

Where did Douglas come from? What type of person is he? What should we expect from him, and should we trust him with the fate of our franchise? Here’s 5 things every Jets fan should know about Joe Douglas.

Essential in Building Super Bowl Roster

The Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl winning roster was full of talent. As VP of player personnel, Joe Douglas was a crucial part of building that roster.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman credited Douglas for his efforts in building the star-studded roster, saying he played an “integral role” in constructing the roster. Roseman also said the Eagles will miss him personally and professionally.

Douglas took a young quarterback and a talented roster and built a Super Bowl winning team out of it. If he did it with the Eagles, why not do it with the Jets? The scenarios are very similar, and he’s proven to be successful when building around a young quarterback.

Learned Under Ozzie Newsome

Before his time with the Eagles, Douglas was a scout for the Ravens. He learned talent evaluation from one of the greatest evaluators in NFL history. Newsome’s been credited for finding incredible talents in his post-playing days, including Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

Douglas deserves credit for one of Newsome’s many draft finds: Joe Flacco. Douglas was the first one in the Ravens’ organization to find Flacco, and Newsome eventually drafted him. Flacco went on to win a Super Bowl for the Ravens, and was a top tier starter for nearly a decade in his career.

No Messing Around

Mike Maccagnan drafted several players who were talented, but carried character concerns with them. With Joe Douglas in town, I wouldn’t expect much more of that.

Douglas strongly prefers football guys. Douglas wants hard workers who come to play football and only play football. Don’t expect him to get rid of players strictly because of their off-the-field issues, but you can definitely expect a decrease in the amount of shaky characters that the Jets target.

What do you think of the Joe Douglas hire? Will he be able to build the Jets into a playoff contender? Give us your take in the comment section!