: Israel Abanikanda
Aug 16, 2023
Aug 15, 2023
Aug 14, 2023
Jun 12, 2023
Zack Rosenblatt
·Jun 12, 2023 · 10:21 AM EDT
Dalvin Cook is arriving soon, and Breece Hall is practicing again after a long layoff, creating a first-class problem for the backfield-heavy New York Jets. "There's only one football," offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said Tuesday. "You always want everybody to want the ball at all times, and I think we have a lot of people that want the ball and deserve the ball."
Related Players: Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight, Israel Abanikanda
If Hall is quick to return to full health, you have to wonder if the team will make another move with the sheer amount of depth it is currently carrying on its roster.
The article goes on to mention that "Admitting he was 'an emotional train wreck' during the toughest times of his rehab, Hall said his knee is sound, although he also said he still experiences occasional knee soreness and still wonders whether he can make certain cuts. He downplayed Tuesday's return."
Drafting any Jets option at this point feels like a headache, but Hall should still be the target as his ADP continues to drop into the 3rd Round and possibly beyond.
If anyone thought Dalvin Cook’s addition was a sign that Hall’s recovery from a torn ACL was slower than expected, the reality is actually the opposite. Breece Hall is on track to return by Week 1, and Cook still needs some time for both personal reasons (he’s expecting a child) and health (coming off shoulder surgery).
Throughout the summer, Saleh has noted that Hall has run as fast as 22 or 23 mph while rehabbing, according to the team’s GPS tracking, which is about the same speed of his 62-yard run against the Broncos last year before getting injured. Hall is still being eased back into practice, though.
The addition of Cook was only surprising in that the Jets already have Hall in the building, and they view him as a star-level player capable of carrying the workload.
Related players: Michael Carter, Israel Abanikanda, Zonovan Knight
Adding Cook means someone else might wind up being the odd man out. Hall and Cook are safely locked into roster spots. So is Abanikanda, a fifth-round rookie. So then it comes down to which of Carter or Knight the Jets want to keep around as the third/fourth running back. Fullback Nick Bawden could factor into the equation, too, the story went on to say. Those owning Carter and Knight may want to wait this out a bit.
Free agent RB Dalvin Cook is planning to sign a one-year deal worth up to $8.6 million with the New York Jets, per source.
Related players: Breece Hall, Michael Carter, Israel Abanikanda, Zonovan Knight
Another RB domino falls today as many felt it was just a matter of time before Cook ended up with the Jets - this despite a story today where Carter said he felt the team didn't need Cook. Perhaps the biggest question now is the status of Hall, who is coming off a torn ACL last season. Speculation at this point is Hall either isn't completely ready or the Jets just want to ease him back in. As a result, it may be safe to assume Cook leads the backfield, at least early on until Hall is back to form, where perhaps a split or hot hand situation forms. It's a win-now move for the Jets, who didn't seem to want to give Carter, rookie Abanikanda or last year's sensation Knight, a bulk of the work. Cook's signing moves all three backs down the depth chart. Last year, Cook played in all 17 games running 264 times for 1,173 yards and 8 TDs while adding 39 catches for 295 yards and two TDs.
The Jets think Michael Carter will bounce back and also believe that Israel Abanikanda — whom they drafted in the fifth round out of Pitt — can make an immediate impact. He’s a home-run threat and will be part of the running back rotation right away, pushing to start if Breece Hall is out to begin the season.
Related Players: Zonovan Knight
This is music to analytic nerds everywhere. Abanikanda was a spreadsheet darling but when he went to New York in the fifth round, it took a little bit of the air out of the balloon. But it turns out that Breece Hall could be missing well into the season and Carter was far less effective with the ball in his hand than his rookie counterpart in the 2022 campaign.
Izzy makes for an interesting late-round option on teams desperate for RB help.
4for4 Fantasy Football. Copyright © Intense Industries, LLC. All rights reserved.