New York Jets rookie Braelon Allen makes a strong impression in his NFL debut

Braelon Allen’s NFL career got off to a good start for the Jets.

Braelon Allen looked the part on Saturday, the New York Jets rookie running back with some strong runs in his preseason debut.

In Saturday’s preseason win over the Washington Commanders, Allen ran for 54 yards on six carries. It was Allen’s debut in the NFL. He was taken by the Jets in the fourth round of April’s NFL draft after a strong career at Wisconsin.

Allen is a strong and imposing running back, but he also showed some good speed and elusiveness to go along with his size. Similar traits to what he showed in college in the Big Ten at Wisconsin.

On Saturday, following the Jets getting a 20-17 win over the Commanders in their preseason opener, Allen talked about his first game in the NFL.

“I thought it was good. Obviously, got to watch the film and evaluate it, but it felt good. It always takes me a little bit to get into the flow of the game,” Allen told reporters after the game.

“My first few caries were slipping around a little bit and stuff like that, but I thought the o-line did a great job. Every carry I had there was space, so they made it really easy. Like I said, just got to get back into the film room and
evaluate and get better.”

Allen and the Jets play at the Carolina Panthers this upcoming weekend.

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In all likelihood, Allen will be behind incumbent starter Breece Hall this season. But it was still a very strong debut that showed his potential to be a potential game-changer – even as a rookie.

Allen grew into the game, finishing as the leading rusher for the Jets.

“My first few carries I always feel like my legs aren’t really working the
way they are supposed to be,” Allen said.

“I kind of feel like I’m stumbling over myself a little bit. Today was more me just kind of slipping and sliding around, but definitely the more carries I get, the stronger I get. I think my last few carries I was able to impose my will a little bit and start to get into the flow of things.”

Jets remain a work in progress with regular season on horizon

The Jets are working towards bettering themselves on a daily basis under Robert Saleh’s watch.

The Jets have kicked off the Robert Saleh era with two straight preseason wins, but their head coach is not fully satisfied with the product he is seeing on a daily basis.

Not even close.

With its preseason finale against the Eagles just two days away, New York is closing in on the beginning of the regular season. Saleh and his team will board a plane and travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers in just 18 days. Will they be ready to go when that time comes? The way Saleh sees it, there is still plenty of work to be done to get to that point.

“I’ll speak for the entire team, offense, defense, special teams. Nothing is where we want it to be,” Saleh said Tuesday after wrapping up the first of two joint practices with Philadelphia. “I know that’s what’s going to catch the headline, but that’s part of training camp. We’re building. We’re trying to get ourselves better. We’re working every single day and the reality is we’ll never be where we want to be. We’re always going to try and improve.”

Saleh’s sentiment might seem like typical preseason coach speak, but it aligns with what he has been preaching since taking over as Jets head coach in January. Saleh’s “all gas, no brake” mentality is centered on players giving their all every day and leaving the practice field better than they were before they laced up their cleats that day.

When the Jets take the field at MetLife Stadium, their focus will be on working out the kinks before kicking off the regular season. It goes without saying that Saleh would likely prefer to end the preseason with a perfect 3-0 record, but as long as his team gets better against the Eagles, they will be a step closer to where he and everyone else at One Jets Drive want to be.

“It’s a hard, blanket statement in terms of not being where we want to be. You can ask me on a 16-0 team and I’ll tell you we’re still not where we want to be. We’re trying to improve things, we want things to get better. We want to find a way to challenge ourselves and go to bed better than when we woke up.”

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Jets are favored in preseason Week 2 matchup with Packers

Odds have the Jets defeating the Packers in Week 2 of the preseason.

The Jets kicked off the Robert Saleh era with a 12-7 win over the Giants in Week 1 of the preseason. Now Gang Green is predicted to keep the good times rolling this weekend in Green Bay.

Tipico Sportsbook predicts the Jets will defeat the Packers on Saturday afternoon, with New York favored by 2.5 points over last year’s NFC runner-ups. The over/under points total for the preseason Week 2 game is 34.5, with the over at -110 (bet $110 to win $100) and the under at -110 (bet $110 to win $100).

Zach Wilson looked solid for the Jets under center in his preseason debut and will look to continue his strong play against the Packers. Aaron Rodgers, meanwhile, will not suit up against New York.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage. This information is for entertainment purposes only. We make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.

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Aaron Rodgers glad to see Zach Wilson, other Jets at joint practice

Aaron Rodgers chatted with Zach Wilson and reunited with familiar faces during the Jets’ first joint practice with the Packers on Wednesday.

When Zach Wilson stepped onto the same practice field as Aaron Rodgers on Wednesday afternoon, the Jets rookie had to take a moment to soak in the fact that he is now technically equal with a quarterback he once idolized.

Wilson and Rodgers both went to work for their respective teams during the first day of joint practices between the Jets and Packers, with Wilson dealing with a ton of pressure from Green Bay’s defensive line and Rodgers operating Matt LaFleur’s offensive scheme to near perfection. The two took the time to chat when they were not taking reps during a special teams period, though. Wilson did more listening than talking in an effort to learn a thing or two from the future Hall of Famer.

“He’s a cool guy,” Wilson said. “I’ve talked to him before in the past. He’s got a lot of knowledge. He’s a smart dude. He knows what’s going on out there, so it’s cool to kind to ask him about footwork, what’s going on on the field, what he’s seeing. If I could spend more time with him and just keep asking questions, I would.”

Rodgers found his interaction with Wilson equally as positive, praising New York’s rookie quarterback. He also took day one of the joint practices to reacquaint himself with some familiar faces.

“Zach’s a good kid,” Rodgers said, per SNY. “It was fun to see him. I got to talk to him various times throughout the offseason. It’s good having these guys in. I’ve known coach [Robert] Saleh for a while, played against him, obviously, a number of times. Him and Matt [LaFleur] are close. I think the offensive coordinator [Mike LaFleur], I think he’s close to Matt as well.

“It’s fun having these guys in. I got to see Josh Johnson. I haven’t seen Josh in a while. Greg Van Roten, we’ve had some good nicknames for him over the years.”

When talking with Wilson and Mike White, Rodgers also made a point to dive into the nuances of the Jets’ offense, which is similar to the one they run in Green Bay.

“I wanted to talk to Mike and Zach about the operation a little bit,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, I’ve been around a long time and called my own two-minute for a number of years, well over a decade. So, I wanted to give them a couple of things to think about on their own. [Mike LaFleur is] a first-time coordinator. [Wilson is] a first-time starter. There’s just some things in the operation that I felt like I could help with.

“That’s the best part about this, just getting to see other guys you know about and get to meet and talk ball is fun.”

After an offseason filled with plenty of drama, there is no telling how much longer Rodgers has left with the Packers — or in the NFL in general. If this week is the last time Wilson gets the chance to catch up with Rodgers while both are active in the league, the experience will be one he carries with him as he continues his journey as a passer.

“We’re all technically at the same level now, we’re all in the NFL, but we’re all kind of like, ‘That’s Aaron Rodgers, that’s kind of crazy,’ ” Wilson said. “It’s still a great tool for us just to be able to learn from him and kind of see what he’s doing.”

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4 Jets who could suffer most from a shortened preseason

Jets Wire takes a look at four players who could suffer the most from a shortened 2020 preseason schedule.

With the 2020 preseason already shortened by two weeks and the NFLPA voting to scrap it in its entirety, fringe players around the league are in danger of missing out on football’s most valuable proving ground.

The Jets have had numerous players star in the preseason in order to earn a spot on the 53-man roster in recent years. Robby Anderson did enough to secure his place in 2016, while Kyle Phillips came out of nowhere to make the active roster last preseason. New York’s roster currently features a handful of intriguing players that could do enough throughout the preseason to lock up a roster spot, but now, those players are not going to get as much of an opportunity to prove their worth as in the past.

So, which four Jets could suffer the most from a shortened preseason? Let’s take a look.

Bryce Hall

Hall’s circumstances are vastly different than those of the other players on this list. He doesn’t need a strong preseason to make the team, but his development could take a hit with the schedule cut in half.

New York’s rookie cornerback needs as many reps as possible leading up to the regular season in order to regain his form following a major ankle injury that cost him most of his senior year at Virginia. Practice reps are valuable, but do not come close to what live, full-contact preseason reps offer.

As long as Hall makes proper use of his reps in practice, odds are he will be back to his old self before long. It just might take a little bit longer without a four-game preseason slate working to his advantage.

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