Braelon Allen’s emergence has given the Jets something they haven’t had enough of on offense lately: a real reason to feel good about the backfield. With Breece Hall sidelined by a quad injury, Allen has stepped in as the lead runner and turned heads fast enough to kick up trade chatter around Hall.
That noise is coming, especially with New York sitting at 2-5 and the deadline two weeks away. But the Jets would be wise not to let it pull them into a mistake.
Allen has been in the starting role since Week 4, and the production has been impossible to ignore. He’s piled up 357 rushing yards, which ranks second, and his 297 yards after contact lead the NFL.
He’s averaging 4.96 yards per carry, good for fifth, and his 14 runs of 10-plus yards are tied for first. He’s also forced 24 missed tackles, second-most, while picking up 19 first downs, which ranks fourth.
The numbers back up what the eye test says: this is Allen’s best stretch in the NFL. He’s hammering defenders with his power, breaking through contact, and once he reaches the second level, his speed shows up in a hurry. He’s also looked more comfortable as a receiver, catching 15 passes for 75 yards.
That kind of breakout naturally creates questions about what comes next. Allen has earned a legitimate place in the rotation even after Hall returns.
But that doesn’t mean New York should start shopping Hall. Moving on from him now would be too soon, especially when his game brings something different to the offense.
The Jets and Hall agreed to a three-year, $43.5 million extension this offseason, and that deal tells you plenty about how the team views him. They wanted him around for the long haul. In today’s NFL, teams lean on more than one running back anyway, and the Hall-Allen combination fits that reality.
Allen gives the Jets a downhill, physical runner. Hall offers a different kind of value as the more elusive back, one who helps in pass protection and can work as a safety valve in the passing game. Before his injury, Hall had 163 rushing yards, 102 receiving yards, and one score.
Those totals might not jump off the page, but they aren’t reason enough to give up on him. The bigger picture matters here. New York has to keep thinking about the quarterback coming next, likely through the NFL Draft in a few months, and the best way to do that is to keep building an offense with real support around him.
That support is starting to take shape. The Jets have Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Kenyon Sadiq, and Mason Taylor in the pass-catching mix, plus young tackles Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou. Add a two-back setup with Hall and Allen, and there’s finally an offensive ecosystem worth preserving.
For a team that hasn’t had much to build around on that side of the ball, that matters. The Jets have found some talent.
Now they need to keep it. Trading Hall because Allen has broken out would go against that plan.
The better move is to keep both backs and find ways to use them.
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