Entering the 2026 season, the Jets have made a series of moves to improve the state of their roster and overall depth, but are they ready to compete for a playoff spot?
In this series, we’ll break down the depth chart for every position group. This time, we’ll go in depth on the running back room…
Projected depth chart
Starter: Breece Hall
Backups: Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, Kene Nwangwu
Key additions/losses: None, although Hall signed a three-year extension for more than $15 million per year — 2025 ranking per PFF: Hall was seventh out of 59 qualifying running backs for overall grade
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What Jets’ running backs have going for them
Hall is coming off a career year, and still only 25 years old, so the Jets will be hoping he can continue to ascend now that they’ve resolved his contract situation. The Jets made a big commitment to Hall, giving him the sixth-largest running back contract in the league to ensure they retain him throughout his prime. Perhaps 2026 will be the year where he makes his first pro bowl.
Davis and Allen give the Jets two viable backups, although Allen missed most of last season due to injury. Nwangwu can fill in at a pinch but is primarily on the team to return kickoffs.
Undrafted rookies Chip Trayanum and Sam Scott should get plenty of reps in preseason and will look to earn a spot on the practice squad.
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Key concern for 2026: Passing game production
Last season, the Jets primarily operated with a rotation that saw Davis entering the game on third down and relegated Hall to the bench for some key moments. While Davis caught 21 passes in that role, it was arguably not the optimal way of using Hall, who had 36 receptions. In 2023, he had more than twice that amount to lead all NFL running backs so he is clearly capable of contributing more in this area.
New York was also hoping that Allen was going to start to make more meaningful contributions in the passing game, but he had just two catches in four games before his season ended prematurely, so he remains unproven.
Player who must step up in 2026: Allen
Despite the fact he’s entering his third season, Allen is still one of the Jets’ youngest players as he won’t turn 23 until next January. So far, his career has been underwhelming, as he’s averaged just 3.7 yards per carry.
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Allen reportedly bulked up to around 250 pounds during the offseason, so it will be interesting to see if he can still generate the same kind of burst and acceleration. In his first two seasons, he had a number of plays where he looked like he was going to break a big run but was tripped up at the second level, so if the additional weight can be beneficial for his contact balance, it could make him significantly more effective.
Biggest Camp Battle: Davis vs Allen
Davis was drafted one round after Allen in 2023 and has had to wait patiently for opportunities at times, but whenever he’s been called upon, he’s had some good success. He has averaged 5.6 yards per carry and almost nine yards per catch in his first two seasons and arguably deserves the chance to see if he can maintain that level of production with a bigger workload.
After a solid 2025 season with Allen mostly sidelined, Davis could have the inside track at the primary backup role. It may fall upon Allen to take his game to another level if he is going to push for that spot.
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Overall 2026 outlook
Hall has been candid about how frustrating it has been to play for a team that loses so much, but now that the contract distraction is behind him, he is hungry and hopeful that the 2026 Jets are headed in the right direction.
The Jets have retooled their passing game but already had a solid offensive line in place and haven’t made any changes to the running back rotation, so they appear confident that they already have the pieces they need to have an effective running game.
With Geno Smith hopefully for New York providing more of a pass game threat than any of the Jets’ quarterbacks on last year’s team, opposing defenses will be less likely to stack the box, so the Jets will hope for a balanced and effective offensive attack this year. You can expect Hall to be at the forefront of that.
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