New York Jets breakout running back Breece Hall is teeming with confidence ahead of the 2024 NFL season and sees himself dominating the football in their offense.
As a recent guest on the “Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams” Hall boastfully declared how he envisions himself earning the most touches among his star-studded teammates in both the receiving and running games, saying this (h/t Ralph Ventre of The Sporting News):
“Me being the bell cow of the team, I’m gonna be getting the ball the most other than him [Aaron Rodgers]. I’m gonna be touching the ball the most, so, for me, I’m trying to put our team in the best position possible,” said Hall.
“I want everybody to kind of follow, obviously, we’re following Aaron’s lead, but I feel like everyone looks at me as well in that same aspect if I’m the best playmaker on the team. Our offense goes as I go,” Hall declared.
Is Breece Hall the Jets’ best playmaker after showing out in 2023?
Those are some bold words from the 23-year-old talent. Hall carried the ball 223 times in 2023. He turned that into an impressive 994 rushing yards. He was just six yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing and from the sound of his comments, he may believe that he can well exceed that with his anticipated workload in 2024.
However, is Hall the best playmaker on the Jets not named Rodgers? An elite playmaker can make something out of nothing. They can gain yards against the stiffest defensive coverages and individual defenders while also coming away with the football in the most improbable of tight windows. To put it cut and dry, Hall is that guy.
Hall’s feel for the game & ability to beat defenders adds weight to his claims
The Nebraska native posted a 25.8 percent juke rate on the previous campaign, which ranked No. 5 among all running backs. Here’s what he did with that high rate. Hall wound up evading 77 tackles. Just how good was that? No other ball-carrier in the NFL matched or exceeded him in that department. Hall also has the longest run of the year with an 83-yard burst against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, as ClutchPoints shared on X:
There’s real merit to his confidence. But wait, there’s more, like a Billy Mays commercial. The Iowa State product’s 76 receptions and 591 receiving yards led the position as well, proving him to be the creme of the crop as a pass-catching option out of the backfield. Further, Hall wasn’t used as a desperation dump-off or flip pass option when pass rushes breached their offensive line. He ran 340 routes, which amounted to 1.74 REC yards per route run, both of which ranked No. 5 and No. 3 among his peers respectively.
Will Hall get the opportunity to get more looks than the Jets’ top wide receivers?
There’s no doubt that Hall is a great playmaker due for another explosion in 2024. A second major variable ahead of the next campaign will be whether or not Jets head coach Robert Saleh leans on the run game, especially with Rodgers healthy and ready to sling his nonpareil arm.
Garrett Wilson may have something to say about all of the above next season. He was a heavily targeted wide receiver in 2023, but when looking beneath the surface of his second career 1,000-yard receiving season, there’s quite the story told.
Wilson’s target accuracy ranked No. 76 in the league. Additionally, an astounding 992 air yards were left on the table for the 24-year-old, the fourth-most in the NFL. That is one of the biggest indicators of a massive increase in yardage on the horizon for a wideout.
Then there’s Mike Williams. Though he will be coming off of injury, the former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver amassed 249 REC yards in only three games last year and sported a 73.1 percent catch rate on the campaign. Williams will be the clear No. 3 option out of the three, but still has the chance to return to his form as one of the better deep-ball threats in 2024.
Hall’s forecast may seem eye-popping at first glance but when taking all things into consideration, he could very well make good on his self-appraisal.
