The Bills-Jets clash this past Monday night may have featured a showdown between two marquee quarterbacks (Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers), but were you paying attention to the matchup of fourth-round rookie running backs?
We’ve already covered the emergence of Ray Davis for the Bills, but whereas Davis had plenty of opportunities to shine, the same could not be said for Braelon Allen. The Jets only handed the rookie running back the ball four times (one was called back due to a penalty), meaning that he has only accumulated 19 yards on eight carries over the past two weeks. When looking at his game-by-game statistics, it truly is alarming how significantly his overall production has fallen.
Generally, when a rookie takes advantage of the opportunities provided to him, the team rewards him with more playing time. Over the first month of the season, Allen was averaging just over 4.8 yards per carry and was also making an impact in the passing game. Particularly with starting running back Breece Hall struggling (3.03 yards/carry over the first five weeks), an assumption could be made that Allen would be in line for more playing time with new offensive play-caller Todd Downing taking over. So, what gives?
Well, for starters, Hall was magnificent in Monday night’s affair, rushing for 113 yards on 18 carries with 56 receiving yards as well. Allen did have a touchdown in the game called back due to a penalty, but the coaching staff clearly felt comfortable riding the hot hand. Still, that doesn’t quite explain Allen’s decrease in usage in Week 5 and it also doesn’t detail what the Jets may be missing out on.
Once a decorated prospect coming out of high school, Allen’s college career stands out tremendously. At Wisconsin, he averaged just around 100 rushing yards per game, nearly produced six yards per carry (5.9), and scored 35 total touchdowns in 35 games. Keep in mind that he didn’t turn 20 years old until the end of his junior season, making the production in a physical conference even more impressive. Our scouting report highlighted his strengths this past December:
“Braelon Allen has the look of an NFL starting running back. His game is predicated on power and physicality. Allen is at his best squarely attacking the line of scrimmage and getting downhill quickly. Placing him inside a gap/power scheme is the ideal route to get the most out of his talents. He has good open-field speed once he breaks past the 1st and 2nd lines of defense. His vision is adequate to find rushing lanes between the tackles. Allen’s combination of footwork, vision, and patience allows him to follow blocks to daylight. One of his best traits is his run power and contact balance to create yards after contact.”
Nevertheless, Allen ended up being just the 11th running back drafted in 2024, which may be explained by certain concerns that were expressed:
“Allen is not a reliable or ideal pass-catcher out of the backfield. He does not offer route running upside on third down. Pass protection is still hit-and-miss. He doesn’t initiate contact, he takes it on instead of meeting it. Allen’s elusiveness is average at best. He does not showcase the ability to force missed tackles without running through them. Processing on zone running concepts is not strong. Neither is his foot quickness to transition from pressing horizontally to cut-back upfield.”
At a time when zone-rushing offenses are becoming the standard and running backs need to contribute on passing downs, those are difficult concerns to mesh with the modern NFL. However, Allen is also a physically imposing runner who has already transitioned to the pro game. His 2.6 yards after contact per carry would be tied for fifth among running backs if he qualified, while the 1.7 yards before contact per carry would rank in the bottom ten. In essence, he isn’t necessarily receiving any favors from his offensive line but is compensating for it with his natural power. Hence, why his overall efficiency is currently stronger than Hall’s.
The beautiful part about this? It isn’t a “one or the other” situation. Hall is an explosive ball-carrier with excellent contributions in the passing game, while Allen shines between the tackles. The Jets are presented with the ultimate “thunder and lightning” tandem in their backfield, though they’ve yet to use them as such thus far.
Then again, Downing has been calling plays for one game, and his usage of the running backs could be dramatically different as the season progressed. That being said, Allen performed in college, has continued to perform in the NFL, and has all of the physical traits to back that level of production. Again, he’s only 20 years old! When you cannot legally consume alcohol yet can run over NFL defenders, that is something worth noting! Hopefully, we’ll see him with a true chance to shine moving forward. If so, the rewards could be exceptional for him, the Jets, and all enthusiastic NFL fans.
