The Washington Commanders have been wheeling and dealing in trades since midway through the 2024 season and have continued through this offseason and all in the hopes of putting together a Super Bowl contender in 2025.
The real question is … why stop now?
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay put the Commanders on his list of teams that should put together trade packages for New York Jets running back Breece Hall, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract and might not be the right fit for first year Jets head coach Aaron Glenn’s “running back by committee” approach.
Kay believes the Commanders could get Hall in exchange for a 2025 fourth round pick (No. 128 overall) and second year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.
Depending on how the Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury view the offense moving forward, they might be able to keep McCaffrey and send the Jets running back Brian Robinson Jr. along with a lower round pick if they think the combination of Hall, veteran Austin Ekeler and Pro Bowl quarterback Jayden Daniels would be enough to keep teams honest defending the run.
“Hall would round out a Commanders offense that ranked No. 7 in the league last year in total yards but saw (Jayden) Daniels lead the team in rushing yardage and didn’t have a single running back go over the 800-yard mark,” Kay wrote on April 8. “Hall could immediately slot in as Washington’s RB1 while forming one of the NFL’s best one-two combinations alongside (Brian) Robinson.”
Putting Up Big Numbers on Terrible Teams
Hall has quietly been one of the NFL’s better running backs since the Jets selected the 2-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in the second round (No. 36 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft out of Iowa State.
The Jets are 19-32 over the last 3 seasons, haven’t had a winning season since 2015 and haven’t made the playoffs since 2010 — the longest postseason drought of any team in the 4 major North American professional sports leagues.
Hall had 681 yards of total offense and 5 touchdowns in just 7 games as a rookie in 2022 before he tore his ACL in Week 7 against the Broncos. He returned in 2023 with 1,585 yards of total offense and 9 touchdowns, including 994 rushing yards and 591 receiving yards. In 2024, Hall had 1,359 yards of total offense and 8 touchdowns.
Jets, Glenn Sparked Traded Rumors With Comments
Glenn fueled trade speculation about Hall at the annual NFL owner meetings on April 1 when asked about where Hall might be at mentally headed into 2025. Glenn was hired as the Jets coach in January after spending 4 seasons as the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator.
“I think mentally (Hall) is in a good place, but I would say we have three running backs on this team that we are going to utilize as much as possible,” Glenn said. “They are all big men, they can run, they’re violent, (and) they’re physical.”
The Jets might be smart to get something back for Hall, who will be an attractive free agent target in 2026. Spotrac projects he could land a 4-year, $28.2 million contract in the next free agent cycle.
