Breece Hall on cusp of becoming first 1,000-yard rusher for Jets in nine years

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

1. Hall’s future: Every NFL team has produced a 1,000-yard rusher over the past nine seasons — except the Jets.

Breece Hall (954 yards) is on the verge of changing that, but his pursuit of the milestone has turned into more of a crawl than a sprint. The past five games have been a struggle — 46 yards per game, only 3.0 per carry — a late-season swoon that could hurt him at the bargaining table. Numbers matter.

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From all indications, though, the Jets remain very interested in retaining Hall before he hits the open market as a free agent in March. Coach Aaron Glenn called him «a high-level running back» who, to use one of the coach’s expressions, still offers plenty of meat on the bone.

«I’m happy about [the 1,000 yards], but there’s more that we want to get out of that,» Glenn said.

Glenn and Hall attributed the slowdown to an increased number of eight-man fronts, opponents loading the box because they have no fear of rookie quarterback Brady Cook beating them through the air. That’s not a shot at Cook; it’s how defenses attack rookie QBs.

Except, in this case, it’s not statistically accurate.

Hall has faced eight-man fronts at almost the same rate over the past five games (29% of his rushes) as he did over the first 10 games (28%), per Next Gen Stats. He had no trouble with it in the first part of the season (4.6 per carry); now it’s causing trouble (1.4).

There could be mitigating factors such as scheme and surrounding personnel. Bottom line, Hall, who turns 25 next season, will be arguably the top free agent running back and could command as much as $12 million per year.

The Jets must ask themselves, «If we lose Hall, who’s the replacement?»

Other free agent options are Travis Etienne Jr. (27 next season) and Kenneth Walker III (26) — both comparable to Hall in terms of production, but older. The best back in the draft will be Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, a potential top-10 pick.

The Jets can’t afford to skimp at the position, considering how important the running game is to their offense. It’s who they are. The flip side is Hall’s desire to return. Frustrated by four years of losing, he might decide to look elsewhere.

New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears have in common besides a playoff berth? They’re led by coaches hired last offseason, proof that quick turnarounds are possible.

Justin Fields, who was young with a chance to ascend. That ill-fated decision looms large in the Jets’ 3-12 mess.

The Jets, 0-1 against the Patriots, get another shot at Vrabel & Co. on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

5. More changes loom: Glenn already has made one big change on his coaching staff, firing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Don’t be surprised if he makes more moves after the season, especially on defense. Line coach Eric Washington, a Wilks guy, is one name to watch.

«Your staff is the most important part of being a head coach, and it’s always a work in progress,» Glenn said. «Just like players — players come and players go — coaches come and coaches go.»

6. Mystery man: One of the biggest mysteries is the disappearance of edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, who has no sacks and only one quarterback hit in his past five games. He’s an important player because the organization — specifically, the current regime — exercised his fifth-year option, committing a guaranteed $13.4 million in 2026.

Johnson’s sluggish season (three sacks) can be attributed, in part, to Achilles surgery 15 months ago, according to Glenn. And yet it’s interesting to note that he hasn’t lost any explosiveness, based on his get-off times. Per Next Gen Stats, this year’s average (0.88 seconds) is virtually the same as 2023 (0.87), his best year.

If Johnson was hoping to secure a contract extension this offseason, the chances of that happening are slim.

Quinnen Williams (2019), Sam Darnold (2018) and Leonard Williams (2015), who are playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Seahawks, respectively.

All three were picked by general manager Mike Maccagnan, who was fired in 2019.

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8. Passing (not so) fancy: The Jets are averaging a league-low 145.9 passing yards, the fourth-lowest mark in franchise history, per ESPN Research. Numbers aside, this year might be the worst, considering the circumstances with the other three.

In 1971 (98.5 yards), Joe Namath was injured for most of the year. In 1976 (114.7), Namath was on his last legs — his final season in New York. In 1977 (143.0), a rookie, Richard Todd, was the starter.

This season, you can’t blame it on injuries or rookies. It’s just been … well, bad.

9. Running the hurry-up: The Jets knew almost two weeks ago that Fields (knee) was heading toward injured reserve, so they moved quickly to find a third (emergency) quarterback.

On Dec. 17, Hendon Hooker received a 7:30 a.m. call from the Jets, inviting him for a workout. He packed quickly and made a 9:30 a.m. flight out of Charlotte, North Carolina, his home, to JFK. A car was waiting for him and took him to a hotel near the Jets’ facility. The next morning, he worked out and was signed to the practice squad before being elevated for Sunday’s game.

Hooker, a Detroit Lions 2023 third-round pick, knows Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand from their time in Motown.

«It’s a familiar voice and a familiar play list,» Hooker said of Engstrand. «It feels comfortable.»

10. The last word: «We know it’s our last home game. We look forward to it. We know it’s a really, really good opponent, so there’s nothing better than us going out there and probably spoiling what they’re trying to accomplish as a team, just making sure our last game is a game that our fans can remember.» — Glenn