New York Jets running back Breece Hall
New York Jets running back Breece Hall | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
New York Jets running back Breece Hall missed a good chunk of training camp thanks to a groin injury he suffered in mid-August. It kept him out of New York's final two preseason games, and he only just returned to the practice field this past week.
While it's never good for a player to miss practice reps, this could be seen as a bit of a blessing in disguise for the veteran running back. It gave him some rest ahead of what should be a busy regular season for the bell-cow back.
But what about in the short-term? Will the Jets look to be cautious heading into Week 1? Will Hall have to shake off some rest as he makes his return to the field after a little less than a month off?
New offensive coordinator Frank Reich doesn't seem to think so, and he said as much to reporters at his press conference on Thursday.
Frank Reich says if Breece Hall is healthy the New York Jets will let him rip
Hall was listed as a full participant on the Jets' Wednesday injury report, but is still on the report nonetheless. Reich was asked if that could mean a smaller role for the starting running back on Sunday, and the veteran play caller gave a bit of a non-answer when it comes to his usage.
"Yeah, I mean, my mindset is, you know, if he's healthy, he's healthy, you know what I mean? And we always like to kind of rotate guys a little bit anyway, but, you know, unless AG or the training staff kind of give us a rep count, you know, then, you know, then we take, you know, we just play ball."
From Reich's response, it sounds like the Jets do plan on using Hall as much as they can in Week 1. It makes sense. As long as he's healthy, why wouldn't they?
Hall was put on ice during training camp for this exact reason. New York wanted him at full strength by the time opening weekend rolled around, and hopefully that's exactly what the time off did for his groin.
The Jets are going to need him, too. Tennessee's best run-stuffing linebacker, Cedric Gray, is currently in the NFL's concussion protocol. Titans head coach Robert Saleh said there's a chance that Gray could be cleared in time for Sunday's game, but the odds seem slim.
Hall could be primed for a monster game in Nashville on Sunday, and if he's getting the full workload, he should have as many opportunities to make plays as possible.
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