NY Jets: 5th-round rookie CB Bryce Hall returns to practice

NY Jets’ fifth-round rookie cornerback Bryce Hall has been designated to return to practice.

The NY Jets haven’t received the production that they would have liked from their 2020 NFL Draft class to this point, primarily because most of the class has been injured. But fifth-round pick Bryce Hall could be set to return very soon.

Hall was considered a surefire Day 2 pick before suffering a devastating ankle injury in his senior season at Virginia that caused him to fall all the way to the fifth round where the Jets picked him up.

The injury was similar to the one that Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott recently suffered and it caused him to miss all of training camp while rehabbing. That rehab process continued into the regular season with the Jets placing him on the non-football injury list to start the year.

But now that the six-week window where he wasn’t permitted to practice has passed, the Jets have officially designated him to return to practice. Now, that doesn’t mean that he will be playing just yet.

Hall will be eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster after eight games meaning that the soonest he can possibly make his NFL debut will be Week 9 when the Jets host the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.

Yes, the Jets have another primetime game in the near future.

Bryce Hall is one of the many NY Jets rookies to suffer from injuries this season.

Hall is one of a number of Jets rookies who have dealt with injuries this season. First-round pick Mekhi Becton hasn’t been fully healthy since Week 3 while second-round pick Denzel Mims has missed the first six games with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, third-round pick Jabari Zuniga has yet to play a game this season due to injury and the same is true for offensive lineman Cameron Clark as both remain on injured reserve.

Hall’s injury was likely the most serious of all, but the Jets will surely welcome him back once he’s healthy given their struggles in the secondary.

Pierre Desir has proven to be a bust of a free-agent signing and Blessuan Austin has taken a step back in his second NFL season. Meanwhile, the likes of Quincy Wilson and undrafted free agent Lamar Jackson haven’t done enough to solidify themselves as starters.

Perhaps Hall could do that upon his return. In many ways, his situation is very similar to Austin’s from a year ago with both rookie cornerbacks missing half the season before returning from injury.

Hopefully Hall could find similar late-season success. The Jets will certainly be looking forward to his return to the gridiron.