NY Jets RB Breece Hall's remarkable recovery is best-case scenario

Breece Hall is progressing quicker than anyone expected

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Breece Hall / Mike Stobe/GettyImages

NY Jets running back Breece Hall took an important step toward his return during Thursday's practice, miraculously participating in team drills. It marked his first live reps since suffering a season-ending knee injury in October of last year.

For Hall, it was just the latest development in what has been a remarkable recovery process for the young running back. No, we're not necessarily talking Adrian Peterson levels of rehab just yet, but this has pretty much been a best-case scenario for everyone involved.

There were concerns when Hall tore his ACL last year that he would be forced to miss the start of the 2023 season. After all, it sometimes takes 12 months (or longer) for players to return to the field following a torn ACL.

Not only is Hall expected to be ready for Week 1, but he's already participating in team drills less than 10 months after his injury. The Jets could not have asked for a more encouraging rehab process.

NY Jets running back Breece Hall looked great in his return to practice

Hall only played a total of five snaps during Thursday's padless practice, but he touched the ball on three of those plays. The Iowa State product received two carries and hauled in a slant pass from Aaron Rodgers while lined up at wide receiver.

There didn't appear to be any noticeable signs of rust, either. Hall looked like his old self. He was quick with his cuts and explosive once he turned upfield. Hall even reached the end zone on his catch, although officials ruled he would have been down if tackling was allowed.

Don't tell that to Robert Saleh, though. Saleh was beaming with pride and excitement as he watched Hall sprint through the defense and into the end zone. “He scored,” Saleh said with an obvious smile. “No one touched him.”

The Jets signed four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook earlier this week due in part to the team's desire to ease Hall into a larger workload as the season progresses. The Jets don't want to run Hall into the ground early in the year.

That said, Hall's rapid progress could change those plans. The Jets still need to see Hall do it in a game, but he looked like the 2022 version of himself on Thursday. It was a small sample size, sure, but his explosiveness was evident.

Breece Hall is ready to pick up where he left off last season, and he's ready to do so quicker than anyone could have expected.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.