FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Is Braelon Allen better than Breece Hall?
Since replacing the injured Hall in Week 4, Allen has churned out more rushing yards than the best five-game stretch in Hall's career -- 504 to 409.
With Hall poised to return, likely this week, the New York Jets have a running back controversy. We're not talking about a garden variety controversy, either. Tuesday's looming NFL trade deadline adds another layer of intrigue, with Hall's name prominent in the rumor mill.
Despite the narratives and Allen's emergence, coach Aaron Glenn said Hall isn't going anywhere.
"Listen, Breece is still a part of this team," Glenn said Monday. "I understand how the noise happens when things like this happen. I've said it before: We're in the business of keeping good players, and he's one of our better players. So Breece will still be here."
Glenn said the same thing last year, when trade speculation was rampant, and the Jets wound up committing to Hall with a three-year, $43.5 million contract extension earlier this year. That should have quieted the trade talk, and it did for a few months, but the whispers are loud again because of Allen.
What makes this different than last year is that Allen was recovering from major knee surgery before the trade deadline. All the Jets had was Hall and Isaiah Davis, who had played sparingly to that point. Hall attracted interest in the trade market -- he was open to being dealt -- but the Jets never received an offer that blew them away. Besides, they still viewed him as a foundational performer.
This time, general manager Darren Mougey might want to consider offers. If Jonathan Taylor is traded, the running back-needy teams that missed out on the Indianapolis Colts' star surely will call the Jets to check on Hall's availability. If they have unease on Hall's contract, which includes $29 million in guarantees, this will present an opportunity to offload him and hand the job to Allen, eliminating the controversy.
Still, Allen's on a heater. He rushed for a career-high 147 yards in Sunday's 38-33 loss against the Las Vegas Raiders, becoming the first Jets running back since Chris Ivory in 2015 to produce back-to-back 100-yard games.
Allen is 10th in rushing yards (565), tied for fifth in yards after contact (2.64 per carry) and seventh in yards per carry (5.0). The only player in the NFL with more rushing yards over the past five games is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Bucky Irving (548).
While Hall brings more home run speed, Allen is more consistent on a down-to-down basis, a power back with deceptive outside speed. His friend and mentor, Baltimore Ravens star Derrick Henry, calls him "man-child."
Good call. Allen is 6-foot-1, 242 pounds, and still only 22 years old. He's one of the bright spots in the Jets' 2-6 start -- with the Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) up next Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) on the road.
"I try to be as versatile as possible. I'm able to do a little bit of everything," Allen told ESPN. "I came from Wisconsin. In my three years, I had three different offensive coordinators and each of them had a different run scheme.
"I'm used to wide zone, which was my freshman year. Second year was all downhill, a tight zone, gap scheme. Then, my last year, was the Air Raid. So I have a background of doing everything. I feel like that's a strong part of my game. As big as I am, I can play on the perimeter."
The Jets run a mix of zone and man schemes (mostly zone), with Allen displaying the necessary acceleration to thrive in a zone blocking scheme. Now the question is, what happens to his workload when Hall returns? Fantasy managers have a keen interest.
Glenn has said repeatedly that Hall's status hasn't changed.
"Breece is our starter -- he's always been our starter -- but Braelon is going to get touches too," Glenn said.
There's a lot of gray area in that statement. Hall might be the starter, but will he continue to get 73% of the carries? That was the split for the first three games before he went down with a quadriceps injury late in the Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions.
It would be an unpopular move if Glenn goes back to the way it was. If he's operating a true meritocracy, he will give Allen at least an equal share of the workload. He said, "It doesn't matter which guy's in there," noting that both are capable of being featured.
Glenn enjoyed a close-up view of an effective two-back system during his time with the Lions, who used David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. He would love to replicate that with the Jets, who could have the Hall-Allen tandem for at least one more year.
Allen, still on his rookie contract, is signed through 2027. Hall is under contract through 2028, though his 2028 base salary ($14.2 million) isn't guaranteed. Conceivably, the Jets could move on from Hall, 25, in 2028, re-upping with Allen and making him the RB1. He would still be only 24.
Hall hasn't talked to the media since his injury. He also deleted his social media account, where he has known to post cryptic messages, on Sunday. Allen hasn't lobbied to maintain his current role, although he acknowledged he has the type of back who excels in high-volume situations.
"I feel like I've always prided myself on getting stronger as the game goes on," Allen said. "I think I've always made, going back to college, always made my hay in the second half of games."
It will be interesting to see how the Jets play this -- if Hall still is around.