The Jets’ injury pileup has already touched every corner of the roster, and now the backfield is bracing for another shift. Breece Hall is out with a thigh injury and is listed as week-to-week, which at minimum keeps him sidelined for Sunday’s third straight NFC North contest against the Chicago Bears.
That matters because New York’s ground game has been fighting uphill for two weeks already. With Hall unavailable, Braelon Allen is set to handle the lead role, while Isaiah Davis is positioned to move into a much larger spot behind him.
Davis has been buried on the depth chart through the first three games of 2026. He has not taken an offensive snap at all, with all 56 of his snaps coming on special teams. Allen has been the only other Jets running back used on offense so far.
The lack of playing time has been especially notable because Davis entered camp with a real chance to push for the No. 2 job behind Hall. Instead, a knee injury kept the 24-year-old out for most of camp, and even after getting healthy, he has been a non-factor early in the season.
Now the door is open. With Hall out, Davis should slide in as the No. 2 back behind Allen for the coming weeks, giving him a chance to finally get on the field in a meaningful offensive role.
The South Dakota State product has already shown some useful traits when given the chance. Over his first two seasons - 33 games - Davis ran 73 times for 410 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 30 catches for 261 yards and a touchdown.
New York’s run game has not helped his case. Frank Reich’s unit has stumbled on the ground after a strong Week 1, and the offensive line has taken a step back along with it. The Jets are averaging just 3.3 yards per carry as a team this season, and over the last two weeks that number sits at 3.6 yards per carry even with Hall healthy.
Still, Davis has flashed enough to suggest he can do more than just fill space. Since being selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he has shown himself as a capable third-down option with pass-catching ability and enough speed to threaten defenses at the second and third levels.
It has been a quiet start for him, but with Hall sidelined, Davis is suddenly in line to become a much more familiar name in the Jets’ offense.
In Other News...
Jets Fans Are Still Waiting To See Their Top Rookie Corner
DAngelo Ponds has been on the Jets radar since they used the 50th overall pick on him in the 2026 draft, but the rookie corners first month has been more about patience than production. A calf injury wiped out training camp and the preseason, then kept him out of the season opener, so by the time he returned to practice in Week 2, the Jets were still easing him back into the mix.
Ponds finally made his NFL debut in Week 3, but it was only a brief cameo, with the Jets using him for four snaps as they continued to take the cautious route with his development. For now, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has handled the slot cornerback job, and the bigger question is when the Jets will be ready to give their top rookie a real chance to show why they invested such a high pick in him. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Suddenly Have A Big Game Plan Problem Against Chicago
The Jets preparation for Chicago just got a little more complicated, and it has nothing to do with their own roster. Bears coach Ben Johnson said a call on the starting quarterback will come after more discussion, leaving the Jets to sort through two very different possibilities as they build their game plan. Tyson Bagent has cleared concussion protocol and could take over for Case Keenum, which means New York has to keep one eye on a veteran approach and another on a younger, less familiar option.
For a Jets defense trying to get its footing, that kind of uncertainty matters, especially with Chicagos offense now in flux. The broader picture around New York is more encouraging, with Geno Smith off to a strong start and PFFs latest grades giving the team a fresh read on players like David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, Garrett Wilson and the offensive line. But the immediate challenge is less about rankings and more about being ready for whatever version of the Bears shows up when the game plan finally comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Could Catch A Break As Bears Backfield Concern Emerges
A potential ripple for the Jets showed up on Thursday when the Bears added D'Andre Swift to their Week 4 injury report after he did not practice because of a knee injury. Chicago had already been managing a few veterans, but Swifts absence was the one that stood out for a Jets defense trying to get its arms around what the Bears might look like on Sunday.
Grady Jarrett and Joe Thuney were also held out, though both were listed for rest rather than injury, which makes Swifts situation the one worth watching most closely. His availability is now a real question heading into the matchup, and if he cannot go, it would change one of the more important pieces of Chicagos backfield planning against New York. [Read more 🡒]