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Joe Douglas was asked a couple of trap questions at his recent press conference.
Let’s take a look at the two questions and his answers.
Q)Are the two first-round picks off the table in trade talks?
Douglas: I would say that’s a hypothetical question. I think obviously it depends on who we’re talking about. If it’s the right opportunity, we’ll consider any packages, but ultimately, we want to talk about a package that makes sense for us and gives us the ability to maintain our flexibility.
Clearly, Douglas wasn’t going to paint himself in a corner, and say that both picks are off the table. Smart move, because if he did say both picks are off the table, and then traded one, he would be called out by this reporter or another. Also, by keeping both picks on the table, this sends a message to other teams to still call about them, and if a team blows away Douglas with an offer, he might pull the trigger on trading one of those picks.
Personally, I would hold on to both picks and select two difference-makers, two likely starters. who are locked in on four-year contracts, that are somewhat reasonable, compared to many free-agent contracts, or trade-and-sign contracts.
So I wouldn’t get cute with trades unless it’s a flat-out amazing offer – keep those two picks, and land let’s say a cornerback (like Sauce Gardner) and an edge-rusher (like Jermaine Johnson) and call it a day.
On to the second trap question – Â Are you operating as if Mekhi Becton will be one of the two starting tackles next season?
Douglas: Yes, we are operating like Mekhi is going to be one of our two tackles. That’s our expectation, that he’s going to come back ready to roll. I know he’s fired up to get back on the field and compete, and also, we have George (Fant). We feel good about the tackle group because we have George, we brought Conor (McDermott) back who’s played in games for us, Chuma (Edoga) is in the final year of his rookie year, so we have four tackles on the roster that have played and started games for us. Feel great about our tackle situation in general.
McDermott and Edoga are likely slotted in as backups right now, so let’s just cut to the chase here about the starters, Yes, there is a 99 percent chance that it will be a combination of Fant and Becton. The only question is who will be on what side. Fant made himself a lot of money last year on his next contract by doing a terrific job as the Jets left tackle after Becton suffered a season-ending injury in the opener. When his contract expires after next season, he should make some good coin, with so many teams needing left tackles.
Becton has the earmarks of an outstanding right tackle, a position where teams often put massive, road-grading run blockers who get a lot of push in the rushing game.
So Fant at left tackle and Becton at right tackle, might be the way to go, but will Becton embrace this change? If he doesn’t buy in. it could be a problem. If he pushes back, they know Fant can play right tackle, as he did with the Jets in 2021, and in Seattle prior to that. I’m not saying they should appease Becton if he pushes back, but players are different these days. It is what it is.
But whatever they decide to do with their tackle placement, it served no purpose for Douglas to fall into the trap, and say he’s not sure if Becton will be one of the tackles. Why go there?
Douglas handled these two questions well and didn’t fall into the traps.
April 13, 2022
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