Breece Hall caught 76 passes last year. That was the most of any running back. But I think there will be a big decline in that area of his game.
The Jets will have Aaron Rodgers back. (That’s the plan, anyway; hopefully his Achilles doesn’t snap after 4 plays.) And when Rodgers is one the field, I think we’ll see a big decrease in the check-down balls to running backs.
On a lot of those completions last year, I think, were fueled by poor pass protection, along with Zach Wilson wanting to just get the ball out of his hands. With a bolstered line and a better quarterback, a lot of those check-downs should turn into downfield attempts to wide receivers.
If we use Rodgers’ work in Green Bay as a guide, it suggests that New York’s running backs likely will be about average in pass catching. Rodgers spent 15 years with the Packers, passing for a lot of yards and touchdowns, but just two running backs reached 50 catches in all those years. Those 15 teams averaged 72 catches.
GREEN BAY RUNNING BACKS / PASS CATCHING | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
2022 | Aaron Jones | 17 | 59 | 395 | 6.7 | 5 |
2021 | Aaron Jones | 15 | 52 | 391 | 7.5 | 6 |
2019 | Aaron Jones | 16 | 49 | 474 | 9.7 | 3 |
2020 | Aaron Jones | 14 | 47 | 355 | 7.6 | 2 |
2016 | Ty Montgomery | 15 | 44 | 348 | 7.9 | 0 |
2015 | James Starks | 16 | 43 | 392 | 9.1 | 3 |
2010 | Brandon Jackson | 16 | 43 | 342 | 8.0 | 1 |
2014 | Eddie Lacy | 16 | 42 | 427 | 10.2 | 4 |
2019 | Jamaal Williams | 14 | 39 | 253 | 6.5 | 5 |
2013 | Eddie Lacy | 15 | 35 | 257 | 7.3 | 0 |
2021 | AJ Dillon | 17 | 34 | 313 | 9.2 | 2 |
2020 | Jamaal Williams | 14 | 31 | 236 | 7.6 | 1 |
2008 | Brandon Jackson | 13 | 30 | 185 | 6.2 | 0 |
2011 | James Starks | 13 | 29 | 216 | 7.5 | 0 |
2022 | AJ Dillon | 17 | 28 | 206 | 7.4 | 0 |
2018 | Jamaal Williams | 16 | 27 | 210 | 7.8 | 0 |
2018 | Aaron Jones | 12 | 26 | 206 | 7.9 | 1 |
2017 | Jamaal Williams | 16 | 25 | 262 | 10.5 | 2 |
2009 | Ryan Grant | 16 | 25 | 197 | 7.9 | 0 |
2017 | Ty Montgomery | 8 | 23 | 173 | 7.5 | 1 |
2009 | Brandon Jackson | 12 | 21 | 187 | 8.9 | 1 |
2015 | Eddie Lacy | 15 | 20 | 188 | 9.4 | 2 |
2016 | James Starks | 9 | 19 | 134 | 7.1 | 2 |
2011 | Ryan Grant | 15 | 19 | 268 | 14.1 | 1 |
2014 | James Starks | 16 | 18 | 140 | 7.8 | 0 |
2012 | Alex Green | 12 | 18 | 125 | 6.9 | 0 |
2008 | Ryan Grant | 16 | 18 | 116 | 6.4 | 1 |
2012 | John Kuhn | 14 | 15 | 148 | 9.9 | 0 |
2011 | John Kuhn | 16 | 15 | 77 | 5.1 | 2 |
2010 | John Kuhn | 16 | 15 | 97 | 6.5 | 2 |
2012 | Cedric Benson | 5 | 14 | 97 | 6.9 | 0 |
2013 | John Kuhn | 15 | 13 | 81 | 6.2 | 0 |
2020 | Tyler Ervin | 8 | 11 | 84 | 7.6 | 0 |
2013 | James Starks | 13 | 10 | 89 | 8.9 | 1 |
2011 | Brandon Saine | 8 | 10 | 69 | 6.9 | 0 |
2017 | Aaron Jones | 12 | 9 | 22 | 2.4 | 0 |
2016 | Aaron Ripkowski | 16 | 9 | 46 | 5.1 | 1 |
2019 | Danny Vitale | 15 | 7 | 97 | 13.9 | 0 |
2017 | Aaron Ripkowski | 16 | 7 | 39 | 5.6 | 0 |
2009 | John Kuhn | 14 | 7 | 47 | 6.7 | 2 |
2008 | Korey Hall | 11 | 7 | 38 | 5.4 | 1 |
2015 | John Kuhn | 16 | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 0 |
2009 | Korey Hall | 11 | 5 | 41 | 8.2 | 0 |
2016 | Eddie Lacy | 5 | 4 | 28 | 7.0 | 0 |
2014 | John Kuhn | 16 | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 0 |
2013 | Johnathan Franklin | 11 | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 0 |
2012 | James Starks | 6 | 4 | 31 | 7.8 | 0 |
2008 | John Kuhn | 16 | 4 | 21 | 5.3 | 2 |
2017 | Devante Mays | 8 | 3 | 0 | .0 | 0 |
2010 | Dimitri Nance | 12 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 |
2010 | Quinn Johnson | 11 | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 0 |
2009 | Ahman Green | 8 | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 0 |
2008 | DeShawn Wynn | 5 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 |
2008 | Kregg Lumpkin | 2 | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 0 |
2021 | Patrick Taylor | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 |
2020 | AJ Dillon | 11 | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 0 |
2012 | DuJuan Harris | 4 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 |
2010 | James Starks | 3 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 |
2009 | DeShawn Wynn | 4 | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 |
2009 | Quinn Johnson | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 |
2022 | Patrick Taylor | 14 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 |
2021 | Kylin Hill | 8 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 |
2018 | Danny Vitale | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 |
2017 | Joe Kerridge | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 |
2015 | Aaron Ripkowski | 15 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 |
2014 | DuJuan Harris | 15 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 |
2011 | Alex Green | 4 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 |
2010 | Korey Hall | 12 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 |
I’m not anti-Hall. He’s the No. 2 running back on my board. But I don’t think he’ll be up in the elite class as a pass catcher this season.
—Ian Allan