As the Jets inch closer toward the end of season with their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars next up on the schedule, Breece Hall remains sidelined due to a knee injury which he suffered in Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts.

In that game, Hall suffered a hyperextension and MCL injury. Hall went back in the game against the Colts, which indicated that the injury was not too severe, but his post-game soreness persisted through the Jets' subsequent bye week. He did return to practice late the following week and played in that game against the Seattle Seahawks be he did not have a very good game against a mediocre Seahawks defense. He had a season low 12 touches and had a costly fumble.

Hall ended up sitting out Week 14 against the Miami Dolphins and now as Week 15 approaches, coach Jeff Ulbrich said Wednesday that Hall is "struggling a bit" with his knee and not improving as much as they had hoped. His status remains up in the air.  The Jets already lost special teams standout Irv Charles to a season ending ACL injury.

The Jets do have not one, but two running backs who have been playing well in Hall’s absence with Braelon Allen getting some hard yards between the tackles, and the emergence of Isiah Davis who looks like a nice compliment to Allen’s downhill style. The two combined for 21 rushes for 83 yards with Davis scoring a touchdown against the Dolphins. They also added seven receptions for 65 yards. A nice day for any running back.

So, the question now becomes, should the Jets shut him down for the remainder of the season? The easy answer to that for most Jets fans will be a resounding “yes” given the fact that they are a putrid 3-10 and already eliminated from the playoffs. But I’m not so sure that is the best move.

If the Jets were to shut Breece Hall down now, that would mean he was unable to finish two of this first three seasons in the NFL. That type of thing can mess with a players psyche as well as their wallet. ESPN’s Staphania Bell points this out in one of her latest pieces.

…when a player does not return to action after an injury that he believes he "could have" overcome, he is left to carry that weight throughout the entire offseason. There is often not enough attention paid to just how impactful this can be on an athlete. Remember, Hall's rookie year came to an abrupt end when he tore his ACL in Week 7. If his season ended now, it would be two of his three years ending as a result of injury. If he is indeed deemed healthy enough to play and he does return to finish out the season strong, he carries that with him into the offseason and the outlook changes, not just for him personally but in the way others evaluate his career thus far, something that could have contract implications down the line.

Stephania has a fantastic point. How would Breece be labeled if he was shut down this season, when in reality he was able to continue? How much would teams look at his numbers when he is a free agent (or looking to sign an extension with the Jets) if they were based on skewed numbers because the Jets didn’t want to risk further injury.

Something that fans often fail to grasp is players don’t care one bit about their team’s draft status. What difference does it make to Hall or Sauce or Quinnen if the Jets pick fifth or eighth? They care about what they put on tape and their next contract. Shutting Breece down if he is able to play is a move that only benefits the new GM and new head coach who aren’t even in the building yet.

If Breece is unable to play, there is no reason for the Jets to rush him back to the field. But if he feels healthy enough to suit up, the Jets owe it to him to let him play. 

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