Braelon Allen wasted little time reminding the Jets why his name has carried so much buzz.
In Friday night’s preseason opener, the third-year running back came in with New York’s second team and quickly made the kind of impact that keeps people talking about his ceiling. Allen finished with four carries for 44 yards, and the highlight was a 31-yard touchdown run that wound up as the Jets’ only score of the night.
It was a strong return for the 22-year-old, who missed nearly his entire sophomore season after suffering a left knee MCL sprain on a kick return against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4 of the 2025 season. After that kind of lost year, a burst like this matters.
Allen has been a hyped player since he entered the league, and there’s a reason for that. He’s built like a truck and is the youngest player in NFL history to score a touchdown in a regular-season game. Nights like Friday’s are why it feels like 2026 could finally be the year he starts cashing in on all that expectation.
For now, Allen is still working behind Breece Hall, and Friday’s action came only with the Jets’ second-stringers. But that doesn’t mean he’s headed for a quiet role. He’s likely to be the main complementary back behind Hall, and the team seems ready to lean on him in that spot.
Aaron Glenn didn’t hide how much he liked what he saw after the game.
"Love the fact that Braelon came back and had the explosive run... man he is fully back. His ability to press the hole, put his foot in the ground, and get vertical, and then run away from people.
The speed that he's always had, now that really showed up. It's really good to see, I'm happy for him, I'm proud of him."
That’s the kind of praise that lines up with the way Allen has been viewed for years. His size and tools have been talked up since his Wisconsin days, and the expectation has always been that the NFL would eventually give him a runway to break out.
It hasn’t happened yet. But with Hall ahead of him and opportunities likely to follow when the starter needs a breather, Allen should get chances to show more of the bruising style that can pair well with Hall’s shiftiness. If it clicks, the Jets could have a ground game built on two very different looks - and that’s a problem for defenses.
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