The Philadelphia Eagles are hiring Joe Douglas “in a senior scouting role,” according to a report from the Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.
Douglas returns to Philly after being fired as the New York Jets’ general manager last November. At the time, we wrote about how a reunion with the Eagles could be on the table:
Douglas obviously failed to replicate success in North Jersey with the Jets going 30-64 during his time there. He ultimately never managed to get the quarterback position right, which is kind of a big deal. The Jets’ ownership being bad is also kind of a problem.
Now that he’s unemployed, Douglas will likely be looking for a new (old?) landing spot. Is a return to Philly in the cards? Jeffrey Lurie has talked about the importance of Roseman stocking the front office pipeline.
Front office pipeline stocking is especially relevant for the Eagles right now after they lost at least three notable scouting department members this offseason. The Douglas return should help to offset some of what the Eagles lost in those departures.
While Douglas obviously failed to thrive as a GM, it’s not like he was the root of all the Jets’ issues. Everyone knows there are ownership issues there and that much is reflected by their longest active NFL playoff appearance drought, which dates back to 2010.
Douglas initially earned interest as a GM candidate by having success with both the Baltimore Ravens and then the Eagles. He served as Philly’s vice president of player personnel from 2016-2019 and contributed to the team’s Super Bowl LII success.
And so there’s reason to believe Douglas returning to the Eagles is a good thing for the Birds.
