Eagles Must Learn Dangerous 'Leak' Lesson With Douglas Reunion

When the Philadelphia Eagles hired top exec Joe Douglas from the Baltimore Ravens, they brought in a veteran presence into the front office to assist Howie Roseman in draft related purposes.

In many ways, Douglas succeeded in that role. Philadelphia was able to add key contributors to a roster that won the Super Bowl in 2017, and reached the playoffs in three straight years with two division titles.

That doesn’t mean Douglas’ return, something that will happen now that he has been hired in a scouting role per the Philadelphia Inquirer, should be celebrated without reflection.

While the Eagles did go through a period of success with Douglas in both the draft, and undrafted free agent ranks, the organization also had some embarrassing misses during that same time.

Derek Barnett, Andre Dillard, Sidney Jones, and many others failed to make much of an impact on the organization during the time with the team.

So …

With the Eagles becoming a successful drafting organization, bringing Douglas back doesn’t necessarily mean continued success boosted by his return.

But there is something more here – an alarming piece to Douglas’ resume as well now.

As general manager of the New York Jets, Douglas not only struggled to build a winning team, but he was also part of an organization that suffered as it absolutely oozed anonymous sources offering unfortunate notes to, it seemed, anyone who would listen.

And one of Joe’s reactions to all of it in New York?

Finger-pointing.

Almost hilariously, the issue in New York worsened when QB Aaron Rodgers arrived in town, along with a declaration that he was going to put a stop to the info leaks.

He infamously did exactly the opposite … and the GM never stopped it.

This GM Howie Roseman, the person giving Douglas another job, would be wise to demand that Joe be able to hold that together.

The Jets were generally bad. But “bad” happens in the NFL. That doesn’t mean a front office, a coaching staff and a locker room have to become disjointed.

That’s dangerous stuff. So it’s hoped that Douglas and the Eagles take that experience as a lesson to be learned from.

Eagles Must Learn Dangerous ‘Leak’ Lesson With Douglas Reunion

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