Is Breece Hall finally ready to return for the New York Jets after today’s update? The signs are pointing in the right direction. He was back on the practice field today for the first time since suffering a quad injury in the fourth quarter of New York’s Week 3 game against the Detroit Lions. Hall was listed as a limited participant, and that is a welcome sight for a Jets offense that needs its lethal playmaker back.

Brian Costello of the New York Post has reported more on Hall’s status. He tweeted:

“Breece did head to the rehab area as we left practice. My guess is no team drills for him today. He will be listed as limited on the report, which he was.”

Costello also said Hall is moving well at practice.

“I’d be optimistic about him playing. We’ll know more tomorrow,” Costello posted to X.

What a limited practice really means for Breece Hall

For those who may be unfamiliar, a limited designation on the practice report means Hall took part in practice but did not take his normal full reps. He was on the field, but he did not do everything he would normally do if he were fully healthy.

It can also mean Hall was working on a side field or in individual periods while the rest of the team ran team drills. Hall is participating in practice, but he is not fully participating yet. That lines up with what Costello saw when Hall headed to the rehab area after the session.

Look, I’ve had some gripes with how the Jets handled this whole situation. If Hall does not play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, he will have missed four straight games. That means New York could have placed him on injured reserve and freed up a roster spot. For whatever reason, the Jets chose not to do that after listing him as “week to week” following the quad injury in Week 3.

Now, if Hall plays Sunday, that point goes out the window. He would have missed fewer than four games, and there would have been no reason to put him on IR. I hope that happens. Based on how he reportedly looked at practice via updates, I think Breece Hall suits up against Miami.

Braelon Allen has earned his share of the work

In the meantime, Braelon Allen has done a solid job carrying the load for New York. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn addressed how the backfield will look once Hall is back.

“Breece is our starter, he’s always been our starter, but Braelon is going to get touches too once Breece returns, obviously,” Glenn said.

That’s how it should be. The Jets need a strong duo in their backfield, and Allen has given them every reason to keep feeding him.

We all know Hall is the best running back on this roster. But over the past two weeks, per Sumer Sports, Allen has been one of the most productive backs in the league:

Second in carries with 41 – Third in rushing yards with 194 – First with 174 yards after contact – First with nine runs of 10-plus yards – Second with 12 missed tackles forced

Those are not backup numbers. Allen leads the league in explosive runs over that stretch, and he is consistently making defenders miss.

Why Hall and Allen fit together

Allen brings a different style than Hall. He is a bigger, more physical, bruising back who wears defenses down between the tackles. He isn’t the receiver that Hall is out of the backfield, and that’s fine, because he doesn’t have to be. 

Hall gives the Jets the home-run speed and pass-game versatility. Allen gives them the hammer who can grind out tough yards and close out games. Put those two together, and New York has a backfield that can attack defenses in a lot of different ways.

That’s the kind of one-two punch this offense has needed. Glenn clearly sees it, and the numbers back it up.

Now it comes down to whether Breece Hall is ready to go, and we get another positive update. Sunday’s matchup with the Dolphins is a very winnable division game for the Jets, and getting Hall back on the field alongside a red-hot Allen would give New York its best shot at taking care of business. If Hall plays, I expect this backfield to look like one of the more dangerous duos in the AFC going forward.