This offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles have seen people depart at all three levels of their organization. Though many fans are most aware of the losses of players and coaches, the Eagles also lost members of their front office. Both Senior Scouting Director Brandon Hunt (Los Vegas Raiders) and their national scout Jordon Dizon (Denver Broncos) have been poached in recent weeks.
While these departures serve as big blows to the front office, it comes with the territory of being a top franchise in the NFL. That said, on Monday, Philadelphia reportedly filled their senior scouting director role.
According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles have brought back Joe Douglas to take over this job.
Eagles Bring Back Joe Douglas to Fill Senior Scouting Director Vacancy
Douglas was previously with the Eagles from 2016-2019 as vice president of player personnel before becoming the New York Jets' general manager. During his first stint in Philadelphia's front office, he helped build their first Super Bowl-winning roster and brought in building blocks that are still with the team.
Despite that, the next two offseasons with Douglas were up and down. In 2018, Philadelphia drafted four key starters: tight end Dallas Goedert, cornerback Avonte Maddox, defensive end Josh Sweat and offensive tackle Jordan Mailata. Following Maddox and Sweat's departures this offseason, Goedert and Mailata are the only two that remain.
The 2019 draft class wasn't as kind to the Eagles. Offensive tackle Andre Dillard and wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who were two of their first three picks, didn't pan out. However, second-round running back Miles Sanders did become a decent starter for the team.
After the 2019 campaign, Douglas became the general manager of the Jets. During his time in New York, he didn't leave the best track record for bringing in talent to help the team. In spite of having hits in the draft like Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, Douglas had some bad misses when building the rest of the roster.
His biggest blunder was trading for Aaron Rodgers. On paper, this move was supposed to make the Jets a Super Bowl contender, but in reality, it ruined the locker room. Ultimately, Douglas finished his GM tenure with a 32-68 record and never reached the playoffs.
Bringing Douglas back may feel comfortable for general manager Howie Roseman, but it’s a risky bet. His recent track record in New York is anything but inspiring, and while he helped the franchise win a Super Bowl years ago, the NFL moves fast.
Douglas hasn’t proven he can consistently build a contender, which is a concern, but Roseman's leadership should help ensure Philly remains at the top of the NFL.