Painful Braelon Allen injury update exposes brutal Jets mistake

Braelon Allen’s second NFL season suffered a major setback Monday night, and the latest update makes it clear the New York Jets will be without their standout running back for some time.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that Allen sustained an MCL sprain that will likely land him on the injured reserve. He is expected to seek additional opinions, but the outlook suggests he will miss at least a month and possibly longer.

The injury occurred during a kickoff return in the second quarter of Monday night's loss to the Miami Dolphins, a situation Allen should have never been in in the first place.

As a powerful, downhill back, Allen is a key part of the Jets’ offense, and losing him leaves a glaring hole in their backfield. On top of that, the Wisconsin product wasn’t asked to return kicks at any point this summer and has virtually no experience in that role.

The Jets now face the challenge of adjusting their game plan and managing an offense without one of their most important playmakers for the foreseeable future. And the worst part is, this was all avoidable.

Braelon Allen injury update is bad news for the Jets' offense

Allen's first-quarter fumble proved to be one of the early turning points of Monday's game, but the second-year running back was just starting to find his groove prior to the injury.

Allen had carried the ball 12 times for 67 yards, an impressive 5.6 yards per attempt, over his last three games. The Jets were finally using him as a downhill back in short-yardage situations, a role for which they have no viable replacement.

The Jets now only have two healthy running backs on their active roster: Breece Hall and Isaiah Davis. Hall and Davis figure to see the majority of the workload following Allen's injury, but there's no replacing his skill set.

Kick returner Kene Nwangwu seems likely to return in Week 5, giving the Jets another depth running back option. The team also has undrafted rookie Lawrance Toafili on its practice squad.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Jets turn to external options as they look to replace Allen in the short term. Preseason standout Donovan Edwards is a member of the Washington Commanders practice squad, and could be brought back if the Jets prefer him to Nwangwu and Toafili.

Unfortunately, the Jets will now pay for a mistake that was entirely avoidable. There's no reason Allen should have been back there returning kicks, given his lack of experience and importance to the offense.

Now, the Jets will face the consequences of losing one of their most irreplaceable offensive weapons for an extended period.

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