Philadelphia Eagles: Losing Joe Douglas to the Jets isn’t a huge deal
While Joe Douglas has been a great addition to the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office, it’s not the end of the world if he jumps ship to join the New York Jets.
If Twitter is to be believed, Joe Douglas‘ tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles is over.
If former NFL executive Michael Lombardi is to be believed (via his podcast), Douglas doesn’t even want to be in Philadelphia moving forward.
And honestly, if Douglas is ultimately named the next general manager of the New York Jets, it’s not the end of the world.
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Now I know to some that may seem like a pretty crazy statement, as Douglas is viewed by some as the architect of the Eagles’ 2018 championship, but when you dig into the weeds of it, it’s hard to see what exactly Douglas has brought to the table that’s more valuable than the team’s actual (deFacto) GM Howie Roseman.
Let’s take a look.
Now first of all, let’s get it out of the way that there’s no way of knowing exactly which players were Joe Douglas players and which were Howie Roseman players, and we probably never will. However, based on Douglas’ tenure as a college scout with the Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears, it’s pretty safe to assume his fingerprints were much more on the draft than on free agency.
Ok, so if we just keep an eye on the draft (and undrafted free agency), we have three draft classes to judge Douglas’ tenure with the club.
From 2017-2019, the Eagles selected 18 players, eight in 2017, five in 2018, and five in 2019. Of those players, all but two are still with the club – one really since Donnel Pumphrey is with the team this summer.
So far so good, but are any of these players particularly good, let alone elite? Let’s check it out.
Of the 18 players selected by the Eagles since 2017, only six have earned at least one starts with Rasul Douglas leading the way with 12 followed by Avonte Maddox (nine), Dallas Goedert (eight), Derek Barnett (six), Sidney Jones (four), and Nathan Gerry (two).
Not bad, even if you consider that Gerry initially didn’t make the team but in 2019, only two of those players, Barnett and Goedert are expected to earn consistent starts, with Jones, Douglas, and Maddox potentially fighting for a single open starting cornerback spot alongside the likes of Cre’von LeBlanc.
Alternatively, of the 13 players selected from 2017-18, three of the players, Matt Pryor, Jordan Mailata, and Pumphrey never played a snap for the Eagles in either the regular or postseason. While that’s not horrible, when you consider that three of the team’s other selections, Shelton Gibson, Josh Sweat, and Elijah Qualls combined for three catches and five tackles over 35 games, it’s worth wondering if any of these mid-to-late rounders will even be in the fray in 2019.
So just to sum things up, the Eagles haven’t added a single star player (yet) over the last two full drafts, and their 2019 draft class is kind of a mixed bag in regards to immediate contributors.
While Miles Sanders could conceivably start all 16 games for the Eagles if he’s hot right out of the gate, outside of maybe Andre Dillard either moving to guard or getting a surprise look at tackle (with Jason Peters kicking inside to guard) it’s hard to imagine third-string defensive end Shareef Miller, fourth-string wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside or third-string quarterback Clayton Thorson having much of an impact in 2019, or even 2020.
Typically, teams are expected to find immediate contributors with their first few picks, but truly great talent evaluators find players in the middle-to-late rounds, and in undrafted free agency.
Over the last few seasons, only two players have made real contributions to the team as UDFAs, Corey Clement in 2017, and Josh Adams in 2018. Now both of those players could ultimately find their roles reduced considerably with the additions of Sanders and Jordan Howard, but still, finding a pair of quality running backs without having to use a draft pick should be lauded, even if neither becomes a Tony Romo-level staple.
So really, the Eagles have been pretty unremarkable, and definitely not ‘sexy’ under Douglas’ watch. While they have added a few quality players, including some like Dillard who could have a decade long career with the team, none of the picks have yet to establish themselves as elite players or look to do so in 2019.
Darren Sproles shouldn’t even be considered an option for Eagles at this point. dark. Next
While we’ll (again) never know which of these players were Douglas guys, it’s clear the Philadelphia Eagles have become a dynasty under the watchful eye of Howie Roseman, who’s signed, extended, and traded for the vast majority of the team’s current stars, and finagled the cap to maximize flexibility. If he’s forced to go it alone in 2020, it’s pretty safe to say the team is in very good hands.