Braelon Allen's breakout should earn him a bigger role in Jets' backfield when Breece Hall returns

When the New York Jets gave Breece Hall a big, three-year, $43.75 million extension, the club thumbed its nose at conventional wisdom that running backs should never be paid. Some championed the deal as a sneaky-good move, based on the idea that running backs have become so devalued that they are now undervalued, especially a home-run threat like Hall.

Hall going down with a right quad injury seemed to be a big blow, given his importance to Frank Reich's offense. That put the enigmatic Braelon Allen front and center.

Allen has long been a source of intrigue for Jets fans. At six-foot-one and 235-plus pounds, Allen's combo of size and speed is enough to make one salivate. However, as a rookie in 2024, he could only manage a subpar 3.6 yards per carry. In 2025, he suffered a left knee MCL sprain that limited him to just 18 carries. The idea of Allen was much more tantalizing than the up-and-down flashes we'd seen.

Without Hall in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears, Allen put together a solid performance when he tallied 59 yards on 14 carries. Unfortunately, New York trailed for most of the game and ultimately abandoned the run.

Week 5 was a different story. Allen imposed his will early and often, and the run game was an integral part of Reich's attack. That led Allen to log a whopping 24 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown.

The advanced numbers prove that Allen's performance was no joke. The eight missed tackles he forced were tied for the most in Week 5. His 4.25 yards after contact was the fourth-highest mark. His 0.16 EPA per rush was seventh-best.

Hall will be back soon, possibly as early as this week against the rival New England Patriots, but that doesn't mean that Allen should be taking a back seat.

Braelon Allen has earned an expanded role even once Breece Hall returns to the Jets' lineup

The performance against the Cleveland Browns was everything that the Jets have been hoping to see from Allen. The third-year back out of Wisconsin showed exceptional vision to find creases behind his blockers, quick feet to make the cuts necessary to reach those holes on time, top-end speed to run away from defenders, and, most importantly, the willingness to lower his shoulder and ram through defenders to fall forward for extra yards.

Over time, that sort of style wears defenses down and, as Garrett Wilson noted, causes defenders to take "creative angles" and make business decisions, especially once Allen hits the open field with a head of steam.

Two games aren't enough to usurp Hall, of course, but a 1A-1B situation where the carries go something like 60-40 in Hall's favor makes sense. Allen's bruising style can help complement Hall and open things up for the speedster, making the pair better when they share the load more evenly.

It's been clear that Reich wants the run to be the foundation of his offense, building off that with play-action passing and bringing the safeties up, which then opens up deep shots later in the game. Allen can play a big role in making that happen, and a more even rotation between the two backs will also keep both fresher for longer.

At the end of the day, leaning into strengths helps win football games, and the Jets are fortunate to have two quality, explosive running backs with complementary styles. That means once Hall is back, this should become more of a committee approach, and Hall's fat contract shouldn't stand in the way.

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