NFL
New York Jets Star Poised For Breakout After Run Blocking Scheme Change
While a lot of attention surrounding the New York Jets stems from Aaron Rodgers returning to the team looking healthy, there are some other players who could be in for huge years.
Wide receiver is the first position who is expected to get a bump.
Garrett Wilson is an emerging superstar in this league, having won the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year award and putting up back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons with quarterback play that can be mildly described as less than adequate.
Rodgers running this offense should provide a boost to Wilson, putting him on the shortlist for players who could be inline for huge years.
However, despite the sentiment around the NFL that running back Breece Hall is on his way to stardom, the possibility about what he might do has been largely overshadowed.
Entering his third season, he recovered nicely from his torn ACL and meniscus that cut his rookie campaign short after suffering those injuries in Week 7 of 2022 by putting up 994 yards and five touchdowns last year.
Much of the optimism surrounding Hall stems from his 463 yards and four touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry that he had through seven games his rookie season.
With him on the verge of putting together a truly dominant showing, it’s not just the upgraded offensive line unit that could propel him for a career-year.
Andrew Fialkow of Jets X Factor thinks the moves New York has made this offseason suggests they are moving towards a gap-heavy scheme instead of the zone scheme they used previously. He went through film from 2023 to see how Hall performed when those types of run plays were called, and projects this will be a catalyst for him to excel in 2024.
He took a look at the Baltimore Ravens‘ running game, primarily because the Jets added Morgan Moses and John Simpson who were with that team last year.
There are different wrinkles to their running game he thinks New York will call upon more times this season, allowing Hall to run behind their elite guard Alijah Vera-Tucker to create explosive plays on the ground.
Hall has shown an ability to rip off long runs that can go for touchdowns if he’s allowed to get to the second level.
Overall, Fialkow does a fantastic of breaking down the film and showcasing how the Jets could take what the Ravens have done and put that into their offense to maximize their running back’s abilities.
Of course, that also is relying on offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and head coach Robert Saleh to actually make those changes, but the profiles of the players across the offensive line they added this offseason seems to indicate they will do just that.
If so, Hall could finally eclipse the 1,000-yard marker for the first time in his career and truly burst onto the scene as one of the best players at his position.