NY Jets: Joe Douglas is building this team’s roster his way

The NY Jets, orchestrated by Joe Douglas, let loose two former starters ahead of cutdown day.

There are always a few surprises when teams let go of approximately a quarter of their roster, dialing down to a regular-season 53-man depth chart.

In this particular case, many were surprised when NY Jets‘ general manager Joe Douglas released both linebacker James Burgess and center Jonotthan Harrison.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, however.

Regarding Burgess, the Jets used him as a stop-gap linebacker to fill the holes left by Neville Hewitt and Blake Cashman, as both suffered injuries at points during last season.

In terms of letting Harrison loose on the open market, they seem to be going in another direction when it comes to offensive line depth and versatility along their five-man front.

The team signed former Colts’ center/guard Josh Andrews to provide some sort of formidable depth to a unit that needed it the most after last season’s offensive line fiasco.

Joe Douglas continues to shape the NY Jets’ roster to his own liking.

Harrison provided good depth, too. But, remember, Douglas wasn’t the one to bring Harrison on-board. Former Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan signed Harrison in 2017 after being released from the Colts the season prior.

Harrison provided decent depth over the last three seasons that he was with the team. While starting multiple games over that span, Harrison ranked among the bottom of the league in overall performance for a starting-caliber center.

Although his ability to start may be lackluster as compared to some of the better players around the league, Harrison still provided harmony to a locker room that, many could argue, needed it the most in recent years.

Both James Burgess and Jonotthan Harrison stepped into situations that can, albeit, be a bit stressful considering the performance this team puts on every football Sunday.

Although a heartfelt goodbye may be in line for these two, Joe Douglas probably doesn’t have the time.

NFL cutdown day is today and Douglas has plenty of work to do if he wants to shape this team into a product that he would feel proud enough about to deploy on any given Thursday, Sunday, or Monday.