Not everything with the New York Jets is peaches and rainbows.
According to Heavy Sports senior NFL reporter Matt Lombardo, cornerback Bryce Hall “will be” made available ahead of the NFL trade deadline on November 1.
Lombardo described him as a “marketable trade piece” with his role diminishing in New York after a bright start to his NFL career.
Bryce Hall Could Be on His Way out of New York
The 24-year-old was originally taken with the No. 158 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Hall slipped in the draft after breaking his leg and dislocating his ankle during his final year at Virginia in 2019. Prior to that, he was projected as a potential future first-round pick or at worst a day-two selection.
He eventually got his sea legs under him about halfway through his rookie season and immediately ascended to the starting lineup for the Jets.
Over the next season and a half, Hall would appear in 25 games and ended up starting in 24 of those contests.
Hall was one of the pleasant surprises at the cornerback position in 2021, but the Jets’ front office apparently wasn’t satisfied with those results.
Improving the depth chart was a major point of emphasis as they invested over $33 million in free agency with the signing of DJ Reed. Then a month later in the 2022 NFL draft, they selected Ahmad Garnder as the No. 4 overall pick in the first round.
When you include those additions with the players they already had on the roster (Michael Carter II and Brandin Echols), the entire cornerback pecking order changed overnight.
All of that movement sent Hall from the starting lineup to the bench.
Through the first six weeks of the 2022 season, Hall has only appeared in one game and has just participated in five defensive snaps.
Exploring the Why in the Bryce Hall-Jets Equation
With Hall not getting any playing time and that future unlikely to change, it appears a parting of ways could be in the cards.
The former Virginia product has produced when he is on the field but outside of injury, there isn’t a clear path to playing time with the Jets:
- 19 pass deflections
- One interception
- Over 115 total tackles
That is the case for another famed member of the 2020 NFL draft class: wide receiver Denzel Mims. Earlier this offseason the former Baylor product requested a trade and is still waiting to find a new home.
While Hall hasn’t officially requested a trade, it seems like the Jets would be open to moving him if the price is right.
General manager Joe Douglas still values both players and the depth they provide his team at two critical positions. So don’t expect Douglas to give them away but as he has stated previously, he will listen to any offer for virtually any player on the roster outside of rare exceptions.
Hall is still under contract for the rest of 2022 and through 2023 at an incredibly affordable rate:
- 2022 cap hit: $973,951
- 2023 cap hit: $1.08 million
A young player on an affordable contract playing the cornerback position in a passing league could be an incredibly valuable asset to the right NFL team.
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Jets Make $3.6 Million Youngster Available via Trade: Sources