In a 24-hour span, the Jets signed one top running back and activated another.
After it was revealed Monday night that the Jets had signed free agent running back Dalvin Cook, they activated Breece Hall off the physically unable to play list on Tuesday.
That will give the Jets a 1-2 punch at running back with weeks to spare ahead of the regular season.
The Athletic first reported the news of Hall’s activation.
Hall, who is recovering after he tore his left ACL during the Jets’ Week 7 game at Denver last year, was still a limited participant and said the only difference for him was stretching with the full group.
His return, however, marked an important step for Hall to play against the Bills in Week 1, which head coach Robert Saleh reiterated is the plan.
“I think I’ll be ready for it,” Hall said. “At the end of the day, the coaches and myself are gonna do the best thing in my interest. I’m not gonna put any certain timeline on it. Just leave it up to God and if my knee’s feeling good that day, I’ll play.”
The Iowa State product impressed over seven games last season, rushing for 463 total yards and averaging 5.8 per rush.
His injury, suffered in a 16-9 win over the Broncos, marked the first crack in what became a spectacular collapse.
The Jets lost seven of their last eight games and failed to make the playoffs.
Now, though, he should form a 1-2 tandem with Cook that could elevate the Jets’ offense to another level — if both running backs can stay healthy.
Cook, who turned 28 last week, had surgery on a chronic left shoulder injury in February.
As for Hall’s knee, he acknowledged Tuesday that there is still some uncertainty in how he thinks about the injury.
“Not so much, ‘Am I gonna hurt it again?’ I know the knee’s fine,” Hall said. “Just, OK, am I gonna be able to make this cut again or do this? You think about that stuff and you see how it feels and stuff. So it’s like once you cross that barrier of, OK you do it and I don’t gotta think about that anymore. I can do that now.
“So for me, the next thing is, OK when I start doing team reps, how am I gonna feel? Is my knee gonna be sore? Little stuff like that. Just learning how to manage that type of stuff.”
Connor McGovern will work at center with the starting offense on Wednesday after Joe Tippmann got a chance Tuesday.
Saleh said that guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle) has been dealing with an issue for “a while.”
“We’re trying to help him just take a break to see if we can get [it] under control,” Saleh said.
The Jets will have their first and only joint practice with the Buccaneers on Wednesday before the teams play Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.
Saleh said he prefers one joint practice to two, since the second tends to be when tempers flare.
Read more
