Even before last week’s NFL Draft brought the Jets seven promising young men (plus undrafted free agents) to 1 Jets Drive for this weekend’s rookie minicamp, general manager Joe Douglas made multiple moves — in free agency and via trade.
“If someone had said you’d have an opportunity to get [WR Mike] Williams, [OL] Tryon [Smith], [OL Morgan] Moses and get [DE] Haason [Reddick] before the draft, I would have told you you’re crazy” Douglas told Eric Allen on a special post-draft edition of “The Official Jets Podcast.”
Add the signing of backup QB Tyrod Taylor, DL Leki Fotu, DL Javon Kinlaw, OL John Simpson and CB Isaiah Oliver; plus the re-signing of four of his own free agents, Douglas put the Green & White in the position of maximum flexibility.
“We had a plan,” Douglas said. “And with the help of some great teammates — pro and college scouts, cap, analytics … everybody from video, training room, doctors — we were able to keep the main thing the main thing and avoid distractions. A lot of hard work led into this offseason and I feel like we were able to keep it simple and stay on track.”
At the priority was refreshing and strengthening the offensive line, which saw 13 different combinations take the field last season. The task is of paramount importance with the return to the field of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who missed all but four plays last season after tearing an Achilles tendon in the season opener. After the signings of Smith and John Simpson, and the trade for Moses, Douglas turned his attention to a rich draft class of offensive linemen.
The draft saw the selection of 14 straight players on offense, and the top three consensus top wide receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze — were off the board when Douglas engineered a trade, one of many by “Trader Joe” over three days, to swap No. 10 and No. 11 with Minnesota. The Jets selected Penn State OL Olu Fashnau.
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