Hall himself is expected to play a key role in this revamped offense after his promising rookie year was cut short by an ACL tear suffered in Week 7. But through those first seven games the rookie amassed 463 rushing yards and 218 receiving yards, giving Gang Green a glimpse as to what he could do given a full slate of games.
Despite the lengthy rehab timeline for ACL injuries, Hall said he’s still planning to be available by Week 1, backing up assertions from head coach Robert Saleh a month ago, who said things were still going smoothly.
“I’m doing pretty good right now,” Hall said. “I’ve been saying I’ll be ready for the first game, so right now I’m just focusing on getting my knee as strong as possible, just getting that confidence back. But it’s been going well so far.”
Along with the anticipated return of Hall, Rodgers will also have at his disposal the 2022 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in wide receiver Garrett Wilson, former Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman, and familiar targets in former Packers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb.
And on the other side of the ball, the Jets will have the Defensive Rookie of the Year, cornerback Sauce Gardner, leading the secondary and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams on the line, leading Hall to say that it’s hard to guess who will be the most impactful person on the roster with the many stars available.
“With our offense and the guys we have, with the defense we have, I feel like as long as we do our one-eleventh on each side of the ball — offense, defense and special teams — we’ll be fine,” he said.
New York will open its season with a division matchup against the reigning AFC East champion Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, at which point we can start to find out if the Jets will live up to the hype they’ve built up this offseason, and whether Hall will be on the field as they kick off that effort.