New York Jets Running Back Aims to be Next Christian McCaffrey

New York Jets running back Breece Hall is hoping to become the next Christian McCaffrey.

Jul 25, 2024; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) speaks to the media after training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. / John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Jets are just days away from their season-opener against the San Francisco 49ers in what will be one of the biggest games of Week 1. 

There is going to be a lot of star power on the field for the first Monday Night Football Game of the season, as the 49ers will be trying to reach the Super Bowl this season once again. For the Jets, they aren’t lacking talent on their roster either, as Week 1 will be an opportunity to prove that they can be a contender this season. 

One of the players that New York will be relying heavily on to produce this season is running back Breece Hall. While Hall has had a nice start to his career and is widely considered to be one of the best young running backs in the league, he is hungry for more.

Despite having some success in the league, Hall doesn’t believe that he has accomplished anything so far. 

“Really to me, I haven’t really done anything in this league yet,” Hall said on Tuesday to Ethan Sears of the New York Post. “The hype and all that stuff’s there, but for me, it’s just having a standard for myself. Every time I step out on the field, I want to be the best player out there. I want every team to know who No. 20 is.”

This is really a great mindset to see and to learn about what motivates Hall. After tearing his ACL in his rookie season, Hall bounced back with a solid 2023 campaign. Last year, Hall totaled 994 rushing yards and 591 receiving yards. His ability to be both a good runner and pass catcher out of the backfield certainly helped a Jets' offense that had a lot of trouble moving the ball at times. 

As we head into Week 1, Hall spoke about wanting to be like the star running back on the 49ers. 

“[McCaffrey] has no wasted movement and when he’s running the ball or he’s running his routes, reading between zone and man, he always makes the right read, it seems like,” Hall said to Sears. “He pretty much does everything right, so just seeing how he plays with minimal mistakes and great attention to detail.”

Like we saw from Hall last season, McCaffrey is one of the best dual threat running backs in the league. Last season, McCaffrey totaled over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, in what was one of the best years of his career. 

If Hall can become a player like that, the Jets’ offense will be immensely better, as it will not only create a serious threat on the ground, but it will help loosen up defenses for their passing attack. 

As Hall enters his third season, this could be the year when he takes a massive leap forward and becomes a true star.