Joe Douglas has met the media at midseason every year, usually after the trade deadline, and he has always had to answer for a bad start. In 2019, the Jets were 1-6 when Douglas spoke. In 2020, they were 0-8. Last year: 2-5.
The general manager is never one to show emotion, but he was smiling more Tuesday, and it’s easy to understand why: The Jets are 5-3, and fans have their sights set on the playoffs. Before the season, Douglas’ only publicly stated goal was for the Jets to still be playing meaningful games in December, and they’re at least on track to do that.
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“We set ourselves up to play important games,” Douglas said.
“Obviously, 5-3 is better than 3-5,” he added later. “We haven’t accomplished any of our goals, we have a big division game this week at home (against the Bills) … we know the task at hand, and that’s the focus. You don’t have much time to think or dwell on how you feel compared to past years. We’re worried about plowing forward.”
The Jets made a couple of moves before the deadline, trading for running back James Robinson and sending defensive end Jacob Martin to the Broncos. The bigger news, though, are the moves the Jets didn’t make.
Here are some takeaways from Douglas’ news conference:
Elijah Moore and Denzel Mims, still around
Moore and Mims, both recent second-round draft picks at wide receiver, remain with the team post-deadline.
Mims requested a trade before the season, though the Jets never seriously shopped him. He was a healthy scratch for six weeks before finally getting a chance to play in Week 7, ironically because Moore requested a trade.
Mims simply wanted to play for a team on which he wouldn’t ride the bench. Moore complained on Twitter about a lack of touches.
Douglas said the Jets “had some calls” about Moore before the deadline, but they never seriously entertained shopping him, either.
“We love Elijah,” Douglas said. “We all stood on the table to take him high in the second round last year and we think the world of him. Obviously we’re a football family and anytime there’s an issue, we like to handle that in-house. But I was able to have a really good one-on-one conversation with Elijah. We think the world of him; we think he has a bright future as a New York Jet.”
Moore was left home for the Week 7 Broncos game after his trade request, and then barely played (10 snaps) in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots. Mims played 44 snaps against New England, had an impressive 63-yard catch-and-run and has stood out enough as a run blocker to earn a role going forward, especially with Corey Davis (knee) still injured.
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Douglas still seems to view Moore as part of the Jets’ future, though it’s unclear what his role will be in their offense. Rookie Garrett Wilson has become the No. 1 wide receiver, and others — like Davis, tight end Tyler Conklin, running back Michael Carter and even wideout Braxton Berrios — are ahead of Moore in the pecking order.
Moore made it clear after the Patriots game that he still isn’t especially happy with his role, but Douglas doesn’t seem too concerned about that having a negative impact.
“Look, obviously we have to always do what’s right for the team, but we always have open and honest communication and lay out expectations,” Douglas said. “Coach Saleh and his staff, no one does that better in terms of communication, expectation, laying out the roadmap to success for every player. I think it starts and stops there.”
Zach Wilson’s struggles
Many in the Jets organization — including Saleh and multiple players — stood up for Wilson after his brutal three-interception performance against the Patriots. Douglas did too, even saying Wilson wasn’t as bad in that game as everyone seems to think.
“’I’m sure he’d tell you there’s a few throws he’d want back but, look, we’re 4-1 with Zach as our quarterback,” Douglas said. “In his first game back (against the Steelers) he brought us back from a double-digit deficit in hostile territory. I’m sure he’d say he wants a few of those throws back (against New England) but he also had nine explosive passes. There’s a lot of good to take away from that game. I know the focus was on the turnovers but we love Zach, we love his approach every week, we love his competitiveness.
“He’s our quarterback.”
Neither Saleh nor Douglas is going to say anything publicly but that about Wilson, drafted second overall last year. They’ve invested a lot for him to be their franchise quarterback, and it is best for everyone involved if he lives up to that billing.
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But now that the Jets have the talent, especially on defense, to compete for the playoffs, Wilson will be scrutinized more. If he’s the reason the Jets lose games, as he was against the Patriots, they won’t be playing meaningful games much longer.
“It’s tough, because when you lose, the quarterback gets the blame and it’s not always just the quarterback’s fault,” Douglas said. “But … we’re going to be tough to beat when we take care of the ball, when we don’t have self-inflicted wounds. We talk about that every week, how games aren’t won in this league, they’re lost. We need to take care of the ball, and with our defense and special teams we’re going to be a tough team to beat. Focus on the turnover battle, focus on eliminating self-inflicted wounds, and that’s not just for Zach. That’s for the entire team.”
Trade deadline activity
Douglas has never let the trade deadline pass without making a deal in his four years with the Jets.
He traded with the Jaguars for Robinson for obvious reasons: Breece Hall suffered a torn ACL and the Jets needed reinforcements. Douglas said he canvassed the league for options and landed on Robinson, for whom he traded a conditional sixth-round pick that will likely become a fifth. Robinson had five carries for 17 rushing yards in his Jets debut.
“I felt really good about bringing in a person and player of James’ caliber,” Douglas said.
GO DEEPER
Trader Joe: Jets' move for RB James Robinson shows GM is all-in on playoff push
Tuesday, the Jets traded Martin to the Broncos, who had just dealt edge rusher Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins. The Jets sent Martin and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Broncos for a 2024 fourth-round pick. Martin signed a three-year, $13.5 million contract as a free agent this offseason but the Jets are deep at defensive end, Bryce Huff has been playing well and first-round pick Jermaine Johnson is expected to return from injury this week.
That left Martin as the odd man out, so Douglas traded him. That cleared some cap space — slightly less than $1 million in 2022, a little more in 2023 — and helped the Jets move up in the 2024 draft in the process.
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Douglas said he felt the Martin deal was “good value for us with the depth we have in the (defensive) end room.”
Quick hits
• Injured offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, who had surgery on his knee in Los Angeles and spent some time rehabbing out there, returned to New Jersey last month and has been rehabbing at the Jets’ facility. Douglas said Becton’s “focus is coming back next year in the best shape he can be and as healthy as he can be” and expressed optimism that Becton would be at “full strength” for offseason workouts. The Jets have to make a decision on Becton’s fifth-year option for 2024 in May, though it would be surprising if they didn’t decline it.
• Douglas said the Jets “canvassed the league” to potentially to add offensive linemen but ultimately felt comfortable with the team’s depth. He lauded Nate Herbig’s performance stepping in at right guard, said Cedric Ogbuehi has played well filling in at right tackle and mentioned reserve Mike Remmers’ experience. Another reason for no new additions: The Jets hope to get back tackles Max Mitchell and George Fant sometime after the Week 10 bye.
• Hall and offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker (triceps) haven’t had surgery yet on their season-ending injuries but Douglas said team doctors are “very optimistic” they’ll come back at full strength next year.
(Top photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
