Hall's Deleted Tweet Suggests Cook's Visit Could Ruffle Feathers in Jets' RB Room

Will current ball carriers feel slighted if Gang Green adds a four-time Pro Bowler?

New York Jets' running back Breece Hall laughed out loud on Thursday afternoon.

In a since-deleted post on the social media network formerly known as Twitter, Hall said "lol."

The replies suggested that Hall was being "underappreciated" or "doubted" as four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook is scheduled to make a free-agent visit to Gang Green.

Showing a high level of commitment, Hall has been battling his way back from an ACL tear that he suffered on October 23, 2022. He landed on the physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp, but he continues to work out on the side during practices.

Twitter / @BreeceH

It's unclear if Hall will be ready to suit up in time for the Monday Night Football season opener against the Buffalo Bills, but Jets' head coach Robert Saleh denied any correlation between Hall's status and Cook's visit.

"No, no. Breece looks fantastic, to the point where we’ve got to slow him down. He’s freakish, he’s in great shape," said Saleh following Practice No. 7. "He looks much more fit than he did a year ago, just adding muscle and all that stuff, and still weighing 225 and hitting, like I said, that 23 on the GPS. He’s, knock on wood, he’s trending in the right direction."

Should Hall, who totaled 681 scrimmage yards in 6.5 games as a rookie, need more time before taking on a full workload, third-year running back Michael Carter said he's ready to lead the way.

"I feel good about it. Obviously, I've done it before," said Carter after Tuesday's padded practice session. "I just want to do the best I can. No need to rush him back. It's not extra pressure."

Carter, who has rushed for 1,041 yards and seven scores on 261 carries as a Jet, admitted to being "confused" when the team added running back James Robinson via an in-season trade last year.

"It's a mental game. I'm thinking like they don't even think I'm that good," said Carter. "You can't worry about what they've got going on. You just got to play your own game and just get better each week."

In addition to Carter, Gang Green has Zonovan Knight and fifth-round rookie Israel Abanikanda as options in the backfield. Knight closed out Thursday's practice with a second touchdown during red zone work. On Tuesday, Abanikanda took one to the house during a team period.

"I’m always worried about those guys, but at the same time, it’s part of the maturation of a professional athlete," said Saleh on Thursday while discussing the impact of Cook's potential signing. "It takes maturation to get to the point where it doesn’t matter whether who they bring in, I’m just going to focus on my job, do the best I can, and kick that door down and make sure that I leave no doubt that I should be playing."

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