Getty College football running back Dameon Pierce doing some interviews at the NFL Combine.
The New York Jets are 6-3 and things couldn’t have gone much better through the first half of the 2022 season.
The only real debbie downer during this tremendous start was the rash of injuries the team suffered at a variety of positions. In a span of minutes during the road trip to Denver to play the Broncos, the Jets lost a pair of key contributors in Breece Hall and Alijah Vera-Tucker.
Gang Green has been able to overcome those injuries to win some games but obviously, it hasn’t been the same. However, one rookie’s contributions continue to inspire another star in the NFL.
Breece Hall Set the Mark for the Jets and so Many Others
Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce told ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime that he pays attention to the other offensive rookies in the NFL:
“Before Breece got hurt that was something that gave me a little juice before going into the game. Dang Breece just snapped, I wanna snap you feel me. They probably think the same thing when they see me. It’s fun. It’s competitive going against great backs like that. It’s unfortunate what happened to Breece but he [is going] to bounce back.”
Dameon Pierce says he pays attention to the other offensive rookies. “Before Breece got hurt that was something that gave me a little juice before going into the game. ‘Dang breece just snapped. I wanna snap you feel me.’ They probably thinking the same think when they see me.”
Through the first seven games of the season, it was a two-man race for the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Pierce a hard-nosed runner out of the Florida program was lighting things up in Houston. While Hall had a growing role with the Jets.
The former Iowa State product started off slow but was on pace to have a magical first season:
- 681 yards from scrimmage
- Five total touchdowns
- 19 receptions
- Averaged 6.9 scrimmage yards per touch
Although with Hall out of the picture it looks like this is Pierce’s award to lose:
- 776 yards from scrimmage
- Four total touchdowns
- 20 receptions
- Averaged 4.6 scrimmage yards per touch
Breece Hall Inspires Hope for Future With Jets
Hall tore his ACL during the Broncos game and was lost for the rest of the season. However general manager Joe Douglas expects a full recovery after talking it over with his medical team.
The Jets are 6-3 and have a realistic shot at the playoffs and maybe even the AFC East. However, winning and/or competing for a Super Bowl might be out of the question without Hall’s explosive plays in the offense.
However, the good news is the future of the Jets’ running back room seems secure. On top of Hall, they have fellow running mate Michael Carter and new trade acquisition James Robinson.
Carter still has a few more years left on his rookie contract and Robinson is set to be a restricted free agent next offseason.
The Jets will have the option to bring him back on a super cheap contract and that’ll give them a nice three-headed monster in the backfield.
Having Robinson is a nice fill-in for the rest of 2022 and provides the Jets with a nice luxury to start the 2023 season. It is unclear when Hall will be able to fully return from his injury so having a guy like Robinson will allow the team to be super cautious with that decision.