Gang Green Boss Takes Last Spot in Top Half of Rosenthal's NFL GM Rankings
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The New York Jets' general manager ranks right at the median.
In his latest NFL.com article, Gregg Rosenthal elected to rate the front office executives who are usually the ones doing the rating.
Rosenthal, who also hosts the "Around the NFL" podcast, based his NFL GM Power Rankings on how each team's roster has been built for the 2023 season and beyond.
He lists "draft record, coach hiring, free agency spending, cap management, trades and even handling of the press" as factors weighted in his process with less of a focus on the executive's prior accomplishments.
Joe Douglas, who has held the reins in Florham Park since June 2019, took the No. 16 ranking on the 32-person list. Gang Green's general manager finished directly in between the Miami Dolphins' Chris Grier (15) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Jason Licht (17).
Although he landed the last slot amongst the top-50 percent, Douglas stands fourth out of four AFC East decision-makers. The Buffalo Bills' Brandon Beane earned the No. 4 overall rating while Rosenthal tabbed the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick 11th amongst the group.
Other than his misses at the quarterback position, Douglas has unquestionably upgraded the team's personnel in numerous spots during his tenure in Florham Park.
Bringing in head coach Robert Saleh to strengthen the Gang Green defense has paid dividends. The Jets completed the 2022 regular season with the NFL's fourth-ranked defensive unit in terms of both yards allowed and points allowed.
Douglas watched his team jump into the playoff picture by winning seven of the first 11 games last fall, but the Jets' trajectory quickly turned south. Marred by injuries and instability at quarterback, Gang Green lost six consecutive games to end the 2022 campaign at 7-10 overall.
Jets' brass has been busy thus far this off-season. Bolstering the receiving corps behind emerging star Garrett Wilson, Douglas and Co. inked free agents Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman. With Aaron Rodgers seemingly on the way to solve the quarterback issue for the short term, Gang Green appears to be trending upward with the potential to be a contender in the AFC.
Here’s an excerpt from Rosenthal’s written rationale for the Douglas ranking:
“Give Douglas credit for setting up a team that looks to be only a quarterback away ... while not forgetting that every quarterback decision Douglas has made thus far has been wrong, from keeping Sam Darnold for one last miserable season to drafting Zach Wilson with the second overall pick. … The defense is stacked and the offensive line has improved. Douglas isn't ranked higher because the team has gone 13-37 after Douglas' first three complete offseasons, but it sure looks like the Jets are ready to turn a corner.” - Gregg Rosenthal (read full analysis)
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