3 Jets Most to Blame for Disastrous 2023 Season
By Cem Yolbulan
For the second season in a row, the New York Jets finished the campaign 7-10, extending their playoff drought to 13 years. When a team has their eighth consecutive losing season, there is plenty of blame to go around. This includes the owner, the general manager, the coaching staff, and the players.
The way the team failed to find any solutions offensively and put together one of the worst offensive units ever out there week after week made the 2023 season a forgettable one.
Amidst all this chaos, who is the most to blame? Let's take a look.
Joe Douglas
This was general manager Joe Douglas' fifth season with New York and he has failed to reach the playoffs or have a winning season once. The team's 27-56 record in that span is a disaster. Injuries, retirement, and bad luck all played a role in the demise of the 2023 Jets, but the failure of roster construction simply can not be denied.
In his five years as the decision-maker, Douglas failed to put together a respectable offensive line even once. Yes, the team was a mess when he took over, but the way the Jets have been miserable every single year of his tenure is deeply concerning. The team hasn't ranked higher than 28th in the NFL in points over the last five years.
This, in large part, was Douglas' moves or lack thereof in the offseason. Hiring Nathaniel Hackett, signing Dalvin Cook, and entering the season with this offensive line and receiving corps were massive mistakes. Whiffing on so many offseason signings and failing to fix many of the team's key areas of weakness fall entirely on Douglas.