Does Breece Hall Have a Future With the New York Jets? originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Things seem to be on the upswing for the New York Jets. It's a new era in New York, defined by new faces at quarterback, head coach and general manager. But things aren't all peachy for the Jets.
Running back Breece Hall's situation this offseason has been tumultuous, to say the least. With head coach Aaron Glenn stating he'll likely opt for a committee approach to the running back position, Hall may not be keyed-in for a longterm extension like his fellow 2022 draftees Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner.
SNY's Lucas Hutcherson examined the running back depth chart in a recent story, and it's a room with a lot to offer.
On top of Hall, the Jets have Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, Kene Nwangwu, and Donovan Edwards.
"Hall is a productive back with an excellent all-round skill set, which saw him lead the NFL in receptions by a running back in 2023." Hutcherson wrote. "He can handle a heavy workload and led the Jets in total touchdowns in each of his first three seasons -- even his rookie year which saw him miss the last 10 games due to injury."
The big concern Hutcherson sees is if Hall can prove himself worthy of a long-term extension, especially after taking a dip in efficiency and volume in 2024.
"Despite his production, there remains a sense that Hall is capable of more, but he will need to post the best numbers of his career to prove himself worthy of being paid like other top backs from around the league." Wrote Hutcherson. "Hall’s consistency let him down last season as he fumbled six times, which was more than every other NFL running back apart from Rhamondre Stevenson. He also dropped eight passes, which was tied for the league lead at his position."
Outside of Hall, Allen and Davis will be battling for the RB2 spot. Allen had a strong start to his rookie season as a powerful, bruising back. But over the course of the season, Davis started to outshine him.
"The number two role could be up for grabs as Davis outshined Allen over the second half of the season. He averaged an impressive 5.8 yards per carry as he had eight runs of 10 yards or more in just 30 carries. Allen had just five in 92 carries. Davis was also productive on special teams as he had contributed well in kick coverage, the return game and as a blocker." Hutcherson noted.
"Allen doesn’t bring the same kind of value on special teams, so that might ironically end up working against Davis playing an increased role on offense. Interestingly, in the one game Hall missed due to injury last season, Allen and Davis both got plenty of playing time and produced well as a tandem. Allen had 81 yards from scrimmage on 15 touches, while Davis had 67 yards and a touchdown on 13 touches in the team’s overtime loss to Miami," concluded Hutcherson.
