Jets insider shares update on forgotten running back amid OTAs

Breece Hall and his contract extension are rightfully the talk of the New York Jets’ running back room.

So long as he stays healthy, Braelon Allen won’t need long to make his presence felt, either.

The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt reported that Allen, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, enjoyed a strong practice on Thursday.

Rosenblatt added that Allen had roughly a 15-yard rush at one point.

Allen, a 2024 fourth-round pick from Wisconsin, rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries last year. He flashed in his rookie season, totaling 482 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on 111 touches.

Where does Braelon Allen fit into the New York Jets’ plans?

Barring any setbacks, Allen should enter camp in prime position to remain Hall’s primary backup and the Jets’ change-of-pace running back.

Isaiah Davis and Kene Nwangwu are also on the Jets’ roster. Davis has rushed for 5.6 yards per attempt on 73 carries the last two years, and Nwangwu’s value comes more so as a kick returner.

The Jets elected not to take a running back in last month’s draft, nor have they signed anyone this offseason.

Given that Allen and Davis still have two years of team control remaining, forcing a pick on a running back could have been a massive waste of resources.

Factor in Hall’s extension, and the running back in question would have faced an immensely uphill battle to climb the Jets’ depth chart.

Davis’ emergence last year following Allen’s injury could make for an interesting RB2 battle. Thankfully for the Jets, Hall has only missed two games since the start of 2023.

There have been no credible rumors regarding the Jets trading either player to a team seeking running back depth. It is also unclear whether the Jets would consider Allen and Davis both off-limits during the preseason, when injuries often force teams to become aggressively desperate.

Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich recently confirmed that he does not expect to overhaul the team’s run-heavy approach.

“These guys ran the ball pretty well last year, so we'll build on that,” Reich said earlier this month.

Hall finished with a career-high 1,065 yards, and the Jets’ 2,096 rushing yards tied for 10th-best leaguewide.

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