New York Jets 2026 positional breakdown: Running back

The 2026 NFL offseason has officially begun and the New York Jets will look to improve on a disastrous 3-14 season in Aaron Glenn's first year as head coach. Glenn recently overhauled his coaching staff and now it's time to overhaul the roster as he'll need to show massive improvement in 2026 if he wants to have a job in 2027.

Jets Wire will break down each position on the roster to see if improvements are needed and the possible solutions to fix what's broken.

For our next breakdown, we look at a position on offense that may not be in dire straits as some would assume especially with the expected return of a key weapon for 2026: Running Backs

Running Back Depth Chart

Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, Kene Nwangwu, Khalil Herbert

2025 Review

The Jets were supposed to return to the ground and pound style that was synonomous with Rex Ryan's offense during the franchise's postseason run during the 2009 & 2010 seasons. Aaron Glenn was planning on using a running back by committee approach similar what he had in Detroit with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

That may have been the initial plan, but it definitely didn't play out that way on the field. Hall got the majority of the carries (243) while Allen and Davis only received a combined total of 61. Allen suffered a knee injury during the team's Week 4 loss to Miami and was out for the season. Davis never saw much of an increase in his workload after the Allen injury with Justin Fields being the team's second leading rusher with 71 carries.

As for Hall, he did finally break 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career, but it was a bit misleading. If you look at his numbers over his four years with the team, they didn't increase much and his average yards per carry were on or about the same. In 2025, he had the best offensive line he's had since being drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft and it was a bit surprising his numbers didn't dramatically improve, especially in a contract year. Blame it on Glenn or former offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand all you want, but Hall deserves plenty of the blame for what looks like a disappointing year.

When Allen and Davis were on the field, they ran the ball effectively. Davis averaged close to six yards per carry while Allen's average was similar to Hall. It was a bit surprising they were not utilized more in the offense as a way to line up Hall outside as a receiver. With that being said, the Jets made the right decision to put the franchise tag on Hall ensuring he returns for the 2026 season. He's still one of the team's top offensive players and it would have been a bad move to let him leave and get nothing in return.

How Can The Jets Improve This Position?

Free Agency

In all honesty, the Jets don't need much to improve this position. However, if they decide to trade Hall while he is on the franchise tag, then the strategy changes. If GM Darren Mougey didn't want Hall, he probably would've traded him during last year's deadline. The fact he elected to keep him only says Mougey and Glenn want to keep Hall for the long-term. Whether Hall wants to stay here is another story.

Should the Jets trade Hall before Wednesday's start to free agency, there are some quality running backs available on the open market. Seattle's Kenneth Walker III, fresh off a Super Bowl MVP, is the top option available, but it's highly unlikely the Jets would pay top dollar when they could easily just keep Hall. Jacksonville's Travis Etienne, Tampa Bay's Rachaad White and Atlanta's Tyler Allgeier are also unrestricted free agents and should the Jets elect to possibly trade Allen, White and Allgeier could be solid options to pair with Hall.

The 2026 Draft

The Jets will almost certainly select a pass rusher with the second overall pick in April's draft. However, if they trade Hall, they could be interested in Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, who's projected to be a Top-5 pick. He was an absolute beast with the Fighting Irish last year with over 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns.

It's more likely they will use either a Day 2 or 3 pick on a running back with Love's teammate at Notre Dame, Jadarian Price, Washington's Jonah Coleman, Nebraska's Emmett Johnson and Penn State's Nicholas Singleton as possible options.

Way Too Early 2026 Prediction

The Jets will focus primarily on getting a long-term deal done with Hall before looking at who else is available in free agency or the draft. However, they could use a little more depth as it may be a bit premature to depend on Allen to carry a heavy workload next season after only playing four games in 2025. I expect Hall to have most of the carries similar to last season with Allen and Davis returning to their respective roles. If the Jets add to their running back room, it will most likely be through the draft with a Day 3 pick instead of free agency.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: New York Jets 2026 positional breakdown: Running back