The diagnosis for Breece Hall is a strained groin.
The diagnosis for Jets fans is recurring nightmares, though this instance might only warrant a couple weeks of bad sleep.
A fanbase scarred by too many seasons lost at takeoff due to injury — whether it was quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde (1999), Mark Sanchez (2013), Zach Wilson (2022) and Aaron Rodgers (2023) or recently paid stars having breakout training camps like Carl Lawson (2021) — suffered a scare Monday when Hall came up limping with the end zone in his sights after catching a swing pass in the flat.
Head coach Aaron Glenn tried to ease those concerns immediately after practice: “I don’t think it was a big deal,” he said.
SNY cited an anonymous source in reporting that an MRI confirmed the Jets’ shared diagnosis of strain, sidelining Hall for weeks rather than months.
“When someone [strains] a groin, laterality will be tougher, and a little bit on full sprinting,” Dr. Daniel Kaplan, a sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Health, told The Post. “But it would really be more about [limitations on] stopping and quick movements. If you think of a tendon or a muscle like a rope, a minor strain or a pull means the rope was just pulled a little too hard but none of the fibers actually tore.”
Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) hands the ball off to Jets running back Breece Hall (20) during practice. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
Hall went to the ground untouched, grabbing at his upper right leg. He rose to his feet, winced and limped to the training table on the opposite sideline, where he was examined under the medical tent and then taken into the locker room.
“My stomach dropped a little bit,” said Braelon Allen, who replaced Hall with the starters. “From the sound of it, it doesn’t seem too serious, so I’m hoping he gets back as quickly as possible.”
The Jets figure to be extra cautious with Hall — does he really need to take another snap in training camp? — after he signed a three-year, $43.5 million extension in the offseason. He rushed for a career-high 1,056 yards last season and is expected to be a focal point for offensive coordinator Frank Reich to dust off the old plays he called for the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) hands the ball off to Jets running back Braelon Allen (0) during practice. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
“[Injuries are] the biggest equalizer in this league,” Glenn said. “As a coach, obviously you don’t want to see any of your players go down, but you also have to continue to move forward. And that’s the way I operate in those situations. I know that most people think that once you lose a starter there’s a huge drop-off. I like to look at it as all our guys are starters and there shouldn’t be a drop-off.”
It’s a nice thought, but depth charts and contract sizes exist for a reason.
Kaplan hasn’t examined Hall but estimated from experience as a former team physician for the Chicago Bulls, White Sox and Fire that a Grade 1 strain would sideline the running back for 7-10 days — possibly up to two weeks — and he would be “good for full go” Week 1 on Sept. 13 against the Titans.
“Based on their reaction, I would be surprised if it was anything more than a low-level strain,” Kaplan said. “No football moves, probably. But he wouldn’t just be resting. He would be doing probably a pretty intense recovery process.”
The injury irony is that Hall, who has missed only two games while averaging 281 touches per season over the last three years, strongly advocates for changing MetLife Stadium from turf to grass, yet Monday’s injury happened on grass. So did the torn ACL (in Denver) that sidelined Hall as a rookie.
“One good thing about our players is that they are honest with their injuries,” Glenn said. “If they can go, they can go. But we try to be cautious there with a lot of those [injuries] to make sure that we do the right things.”
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Hall’s injury comes just as the Jets were feeling good about the possibility of a one-two punch, with the self-proclaimed 250-pound Allen offering defenses no respite when the starter checks out. Allen rushed for a 31-yard touchdown against the Buccaneers in his first game back from MCL surgery on his left knee.
“I think I’m faster and more explosive than ever,” Allen said.
Third-string running back Isaiah Davis is also sidelined by a knee injury, which has opened doors for returner Kene Nwangwu and undrafted rookies Sam Scott and Chip Trayanum to get carries.
Even with Adonai Mitchell, Omar Cooper Jr., Isaiah Williams and Kenyon Sadiq (injured) expected to provide complementary weapons for Garrett Wilson in the passing game, how much of the Jets offense will be driven by the run game?
“I’d like to say most of it,” Allen said. “That’s what we want — the load on our shoulders. Coach Reich has made a point that we want to run the ball, so hopefully we can do a whole lot of it.”
