Christian McCaffrey has been the standard at the running back position for the last few seasons.
Entering his third season in the league, Breece Hall is hoping to make his case to be the best running back in the NFL.
“Really to me, I haven’t really done anything in this league yet,” Hall said. “So, you know, the hype and all that stuff is there, but for me, it’s just having a standard for myself to know every time I step out on the field, I want to be the best player out there.
“I want every team to know who No. 20 is. So just for me, like every week, I got to go out there with something to prove with a chip on my shoulder.”
With the Jets’ high expectations this year, 2024 could be the year everyone knows Hall’s name.
Gang Green selected Hall in the second round of their golden draft class of 2022, in addition to Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Jermaine Johnson. It appeared Hall was on his way to a fantastic rookie season, but he tore his ACL and missed the team’s final 10 games of the year.
The Jets managed Hall’s workload and put him on a snap count to begin last year. That was one of the reasons the team signed Dalvin Cook to help elevate their rushing attack.
However, in the season-opening overtime victory against the Bills a season ago, Hall rushed for 127 yards on 10 carries. He finished the year rushing for 994 yards and five touchdowns.
Like McCaffrey, Hall is a duel threat out of the backfield. He finished second on the Jets in receptions with 76 and registered four receiving touchdowns. Last season, McCaffrey led the lead in rushing (1,459 yards) and also caught 67 receptions for 564 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.
“They’re similar, but different,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said about the two running backs. “They’re both three-down football players that are elite with the ball in their hands.
“They’re both fantastic playmakers, home run hitters, and people you have to gameplan for, but both are relentless in their pursuit to be great, both are relentless with the ball in their hands, both are elite as route runners, both are elite at catching the ball, they’ve got elite vision, their playstyle and how they achieve it might be a little bit different, but they’re both very, very, very good.”
What should help Hall this season is the return of Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles in the season opener a year ago. Without Rodgers and the threat of a passing attack, opposing teams put seven or eight defenders at the line of scrimmage, hoping to slow down Hall.
Gang Green upgraded its offensive line by adding left tackle Tyron Smith, left guard John Simpson, right tackle Morgan Moses. They also drafted left tackle Olu Fashanu for added insurance.
Because of that and their defense, which has finished fifth in the NFL each of the last two seasons, the Jets are the betting favorites by BetMGM Sportsbooks to end a 13-season postseason drought and win their first AFC East division title since 2002.
“Obviously, the team has big expectations for ourselves,” Hall said. “I always have a big expectation for myself.
“For me personally, I just want to be out there healthy again. I know that if I can be healthy and be a three down back then everything I want, I’m going to be able to do this season.
“So you know, we’re worrying about the team goals 1st and then individual stuff will come with that.
