The Jets have made it to Snoopy Bowl Week, the name given to the annual preseason game between the tenants of Met Life Stadium, the New York Giants and the New York Jets. The Jets did not play their starters as a whole in either of the first two preseason games, and that is not likely to stop when the face the G-Men. While it has been a topic of conversation related to communications between the head coach and quarterback (covered here), this development is not a shock and should confirm that the Jets will be mostly healthy going into the regular season.
With the theme around resting and relaxing (R&R) ahead of the regular season, there were a few other “R’s” that bubbled to the surface this week at Jets camp:
- Rookie Running Backs
There is no mistaking the talent that Breece Hall has, and he enters 2024 as the undisputed starter at the running back position. However, there is also no mistaking the risk of injury that he carries. Hall tore his ACL seven games into his rookie season, and while he played in all 17 games last season (producing 994 rushing yards with five rushing touchdowns), there is always that risk. Getting younger and deeper was a goal of the front office, and that was achieved. Following the 2024 NFL Draft, the Jets running back room has an average age of 22.8 years.
In the Draft, the Jets selected Braelon Allen in the fourth round. A bruising back out of Wisconsin, Allen measures six feet, one inch, and weighs 235 pounds. After starting at Wisconsin at the age of 17, Allen is now the youngest player in the NFL. He hit the ground running (no pun intended) as a pro, with 54 yards on six carries in the Jets first preseason game against the Commanders. In the regular season, he should be the perfect complement to Hall’s speedier style (though he can lower his shoulder when necessary).
Drafting Allen would have been enough to shore up the running back room (with Izzy Abanikanda still on the roster). However, the Jets were not done drafting ball carriers. In the fifth round of the draft, they selected Isaiah Davis out of South Dakota State. Davis is closer to Hall than Allen. Following a hugely productive career at an FCS college (4,548 yards and 50 touchdowns over four seasons), Davis will likely be the third running back on the depth chart but can also help out in the return game.
The running back room for the Jets has gotten younger, more athletic, more bruising, and deeper this offseason. The success of the running game will open up the offense for Aaron Rodgers and his receivers, in addition to eating up yards and clock.
2. Reddick Remorse?
The saga with Haason Reddick and his contract-driven holdout continues. GM Joe Douglas has to have buyers remorse at this point. While he only sacrificed a 2026 conditional third round pick that could become a second rounder (though that seems very unlikely to be triggered), giving up anything for a player that refuses to report seems counter-intuitive.
While Rodgers has been questioned about the situation and said that he would likely call Reddick, the defensive leaders were now being pulled into the drama. Captain CJ Mosley was asked about it and gave a very vanilla response. Simply put, he didn’t have an opinion on it.
With the regular season coming very soon, Reddick needs to get to camp if he expects to have any impact this season. His only leverage is the impact he has had on games through his career, with the front office and coaching staff likely feeling that he would make the Jets Super Bowl contenders. Now, the debate is if they can be Super Bowl contenders without him. Will McDonald had an impressive sack on a spin move against Carolina, and Michael Clemons was not overly impressive.
Douglas, head coach Robert Saleh, and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich would probably like a time machine to make sure they signed Bryce Huff (who ironically left the Jets to sign as a free agent with the same Eagles that traded Reddick to the Jets). The Reddick holdout is now in its 32nd day.
3. Respect
If nothing else, the Jets are showing a lot of respect to one another throughout camp. Having a Hall of Fame quarterback that was drafted when one of his new running backs (Allen) was three months old will do that.
However, the stars and leaders on the Jets, even the young ones, seem mature beyond their years. Garrett Wilson, a star receiver entering his third season, is a perfect example. Wilson improved steadily from his strong rookie campaign to his second year. In 2023, he produced 95 catches for 1,042 yards and three touchdowns. This was with his quarterbacks being the likes of Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, and Trevor Siemian.
Heading into the 2024 season, Wilson seems to be very appreciative of the support he’ll be getting this year on offense. He has gone out of his way to praise the offensive line, the running backs, and of course his quarterback. Importantly, it comes through loud and clear that he really wants to be successful, both as an individual at wide receiver, and as a team. The culture that Saleh has talked about since arriving is taking hold and bodes well for the team heading into 2024.
Stats by espn.com
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