Breece Hall says ‘I feel like myself again’ less than a year after suffering ACL injury
The Jets have been eagerly anticipating the return of running back Breece Hall.
It appears Gang Green won’t have to wait much longer to see Hall practice with the rest of his teammates.
Although the Jets are taking it slowly following his ACL injury last October, Hall has been rehabbing, working on the side running during OTA practices this spring.
“It’s going good, it’s good to get back on the field, running around doing drills, starting to cut and stuff,” Hall said on Wednesday. “I feel like myself again, just progressing every week.
“It’s been good.”
After the tean selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Hall positively impacted the Jets offense. Hall rushed for 463 yards and four touchdowns in his seven games last season. He also caught 19 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown.
However, Hall’s season prematurely ended after he tore his ACL in a victory again the Broncos last October. Following its win against Denver, Gang Green was 5-2 and appeared poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
But after Hall’s injury, the Jets offense struggled to move the ball in both the passing and rushing games, leading to them only winning two of their final 10 games, finishing 7-10.
Seven months following the injury, Hall’s speed appears to be back to what it was before his injury. According to Jets coach Robert Saleh, Hall measured at over 22 miles per hour on their GPS, a tool inside a player’s helmet that tracks their speed. Hall’s speed before the injury was believed to be about 22-23 miles per hour.
Saleh and the Jets coaches have been so impressed with Hall’s progress, they are optimistic he’ll be ready to play in the season opener against the Bills on Sept. 11.
“He’s one of those kids that we’ve had to kind of hold back from him because there’s a process,” Saleh said. “It’s weird to say it, you don’t want to heal too fast in an ACL.
“You’ve got to be able to balance it out with the strength. He looks strong, he looks powerful, he’s learning. I mean, I’m excited for him to get back on the field. I feel like he won’t need to be limited during training camp, even though we still will, just to be conscientious and cautious with him, but he looks awesome. Traditionally, running backs have struggled to return to their previous form the year following an ACL injury. The average return to play after an ACL injury is nine to 12 months. If Hall is active for the Jets season opener, he would have played 10 months following his injury.
Since 2010, only two running backs have registered standout seasons following an ACL injury. Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson both had All-Pro 2012 seasons a year after suffering ACL injuries. Charles rushed for 1,509 yards and five touchdowns for the Chiefs and Peterson finished with 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns on his way to winning the 2012 NFL MVP.
Of course, cases like Charles and Peterson are outliers for running backs as Giants running back Saquon Barkley struggled when he returned from his ACL injury in 2021 as he rushed for 593 yards and two touchdowns in 2021. Barkley eventually returned to his Pro Bowl form during the 2022 campaign as he finished with 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns, helping the Giants reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“I talked to Saquon [Barkley] for a while after I first got hurt, me and him had a few long conversations,” Hall said. “When we were texting, it got to a point where we were sending long voice memos and chopping it up.
“Christian McCaffrey hit me up. I talked to Derrick Henry about a month or two ago at a signing, he was talking to me about some stuff. It’s been a lot of guys that’s been cool. Just to talk to those guys about going through the injuries and how to keep your mental right and how to keep pushing through.”
Whenever Hall does return, he won’t have the burden of carrying the Jets offense this season. Gang Green acquired Aaron Rodgers in April, who has won four NFL MVPs and thrown for 475 career touchdowns.
The Jets also drafted former Pitt standout running back Israel Abanikanda to a unit that includes Hall, Michael Carter and Zonovan “Bam” Knight. Along with the additions of Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman Jr. and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, the Jets offense is expected to improve from 29th in points per game.
“The expectation is to be the best me I can be,” Hall said. “Just knowing I’m one of the most dynamic playmakers on the team when I’m fully healthy, I’m expecting to be back to myself at some point.
“I really just want to be that same Breece.”
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