Returnees: Breece Hall (3rd year), Israel Abanikanda (2nd), FB Nick Bawden (7th), Xazavian Valladay (1st)
Newcomers: Tarik Cohen (5th year), Braelon Allen (rookie—Round 4), Isaiah Davis (rookie—Round 5).
What’s New
The Jets added three new players to their running back room to along with their clear No. 1 back Breece Hall. The Jets first drafted Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis in consecutive rounds before they added veteran Tarik Cohen in the spring.
Cohen, who dealt with injuries in 2020 and 2022, was a strong third-down back and an All-Pro punt returner for the Bears. Allen, a physical downhill back, recorded three seasons with 150-plus carries, 10-plus touchdowns and an average of more than 5.25 yards at Wisconsin. Davis ran for 4,548 yards and 50 touchdowns for the Jackrabbits and got some returner experience in 2020-21.
Strength of the Group
Versatility. Breece Hall accounted for 1,585 scrimmage yards last season, which ranked 2nd amongst running backs, while playing behind 13 different offensive line combinations.
With a revamped group up front, Hall could be even more effective this coming season. The ACL injury is in the rearview mirror, and he won’t be on a pitch count to start the season. Despite being brought along slowly in 2023, Hall accumulated 994 yards on 223 carries and 5 touchdowns. He also led all NFL backs with 76 receptions and 591 receiving yards and added 4 touchdowns.
Braelon Allen, who had 49 receptions at Wisconsin, flashed the mitts throughout the spring. Cohen, who had a career-high 79 catches in 2019, has 209 NFL receptions, and Davis had 53 grabs and 487 receiving yards at SDSU.
Biggest Question
Last year, the Jets carried 4 running backs on their active roster when Breece Hall was returning from injury. How many will they carry with Hall fully healthy? At this point last summer, Hall was still recovering from his ACL injury and was not activated off the physically unable to perform list until mid-August.
Entering training camp, the Jets have six running backs in addition to FB Nick Bawden. Second-year pro Izzy Abanikanda, a speedster who averaged 3.2 yards on his 22 carries as a rookie, rookie pair Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, fifth-year vet Tarik Cohen, and 1st-year pro Xazavian Valladay all will compete for time behind the Jets’ workhorse. The usage on special teams could ultimately put someone over the top and Cohen, who’s been snakebitten by injuries the last few years, was a 2019 Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro as a return specialist. Both Allen and Davis participated on special teams in college and the club thinks they can provide value there on the next level as well.
Potential Training Camp Battle to Watch
The No. 2 running back spot. It’s clear the Jets have a handful of young, talented running backs, but it will be interesting to see if someone emerges from the pack in training camp. It’s possible the Jets would turn to a committee approach behind Breece Hall. This time last year, the backup wasn’t on the roster as Joe Douglas signed RB Dalvin Cook in training camp, but that could have been more of an insurance policy as Hall worked back from his injury.
What They’re Saying
RB Coach Tony Dews on the competition in training camp for the RB2 job: “The biggest thing is competition, right? When you get a bunch of competitive people, you then create competition. Obviously, once we create competition within our unit, that raises the expectations and the standards. Then that’s going to ultimately help the team. If this unit gets more competitive and gets better, it helps the team and then that helps the offensive unit, which in turn will help our team be better. Then, obviously, the goal is success, but not just success, it’s sustained success. So, I hope that is what we get out of the field.”
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