The Jets season opener against the 49ers has plenty of meaning for running back Breece Hall.
His cousin is Roger Craig, the longtime 49ers running back.
His former college roommate is Brock Purdy, the current 49ers quarterback.
But beyond those connections, Hall wants to show he belongs in the same class as 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey this season.
What better way to do it than in a game against him on “Monday Night Football?”
“It’s on me,” Hall said of raising his game this year. “I feel like right now McCaffrey’s the best in the league. To me, he sets the standard. We’re going to see him in Week 1 and we’re playing against some of the best linebackers. For me, it’s exciting just to see where I stand and really let everyone see my full talent now that I’m healthy.”
Hall admits he was not quite himself last year as he returned from the torn ACL that ended his 2022 rookie season midway through.
Even coming off that injury, though, Hall put up good numbers last season.
He finished fourth in yards from scrimmage with 1,585, trailing only McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill.
He finished with 994 yards rushing and caught 76 passes for 591 yards. He scored nine total touchdowns.
Hall really came on at the end of last season.
In the final three games, he had 191, 126 and 190 total yards, respectively.
“I ended the season on a good note,” Hall said. “Just still last season not feeling like 100 percent all the time, but now I had my first offseason to not just be trying to get back, but to get better. I’ve gotten better this offseason. I’m a lot leaner. I feel a lot healthier. My knee feels a lot better. I just feel like I’m back to my old self.”
Early in the season, Hall looked like he was missing the breakaway speed he showed pre-injury but it soon came and Hall became the focal point of a struggling Jets offense.
He also was the focal point for every defense the Jets faced as they went through a revolving door at quarterback and along the offensive line.
“I don’t think people realize or appreciate the road it takes to recover from an ACL,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “Breece really wasn’t full Breece until right around the midpoint of the season and he was still producing. I thought he finished the season very strong and like I said, he’s looked great during phase one and two and the early portion of phase three [of the spring program]. I think he’s got a tremendous mindset, he’s putting in great work, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can put together in ’24.”
Hall sat out the final few weeks of the offseason program.
Saleh said he was dealing with some “lower-half stuff.”
Hall said he could have practiced but the coaches were being extra cautious.
The Jets expect big things from Hall in an offense that should be much improved this season.
For one, Aaron Rodgers is back.
The team also made upgrades on the offensive line and brought in wide receiver Mike Williams.
Hall said he is excited to see what these changes can mean for him.
He believes teams will no longer be able to play a safety close to the line of scrimmage to stop the run because the Jets passing game will be too good.
“It will take a lot of pressure off me,” Hall said. “I won’t have to go against as many one-high boxes. I’m going to go against a lot of two-high boxes, which creates more space for me to work with. People aren’t going to be able to just sit in one-high because Aaron’s going to dice them up. I’m excited for sure.”
