New York Jets Rookie Already Surging Up Depth Chart

The New York Jets had their first preseason game of the year on Saturday afternoon against the Washington Commanders. The Jets came away with a 20-17 victory, getting their exhibition season started on the right foot.

While the final score doesn’t mean much, preseason games still carry some importance. It is a chance for the coaching staff to experiment with different lineup combinations, seeing what will work once the regular season comes around.

Preseason is the first chance most fans will get to see some of the team’s rookies in action for the first time. With several starters and veterans not playing on Saturday, some New York youngsters were provided the chance to play a lot of snaps.

One of the standouts for the Jets was rookie running back Braelon Allen. A fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin in the 2024 NFL Draft, Allen was expected to take part in a competition to see who would be the backup to Breece Hall.

Allen was set to face plenty of opposition. Fellow rookie Isaiah Davis, 2023 fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda, Xazavian Valladay and veteran Deon Jackson were all in the mix as well.

But, one of the biggest takeaways from the preseason opener against the Commanders is that the No. 2 role behind Hall looks to have been sewn up already. From the looks of things, he is already the handcuff to own in Fantasy Football.

The first running back on the field, Allen was involved in the game plan heavily. He was productive on the ground, gaining 54 yards on six carries.

Normally, rookies selected in the mid-late rounds of the draft have their work cut out for them when it comes to moving up the depth chart. Allen has been making such an impact, that he has already surged to the top spot behind Hall.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Allen will have a prominent role in the offense once the regular season comes around. Hall is the clear-cut featured back in this offense, surpassing the 70-percent mark in each of the final three regular season games in 2023.

Should anything happen to Hall, or when he takes his regular breathers during the game, Allen looks like he will have his number called. It is quite an impressive feat moving up the depth chart this much, but he looks to have benefitted the most from Tarik Cohen’s surprise retirement earlier in camp.