There’s a reason the Jets love their fourth-round pick in this year’s draft, Braelon Allen.
The young running back has been generating nothing but positive reviews for his training camp showing and he was able to carry that over to Saturday afternoon’s preseason opener against the Washington Commanders.
“We’re all excited to see him and he didn’t disappoint,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “When he got to the second-level it’s painful to just touch him, he’s a very heavy runner and it was really cool to see him out there on the field today.”
Led by veteran backup Tyrod Taylor with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the majority of the starters resting, the Jets’ offense got off to a bit of a slow start, as they went three-and-out on each of their first two drives of the game.
But they were finally able to get things going on their opening drive of the second quarter, as Allen broke free for a pair of impressive long runs, helping them move down the field and put points on the board.
“I feel like it always takes me time to get into the flow,” he said. “My first few carries I don’t always feel like my legs are working like they are supposed to, but the more carries I get the stronger I get, and I was able to impose my will a little bit on those last few today.”
Allen put his game-changing attributes on full display and his slow afternoon quickly turned to a positive one, as he went on to finish with a total of 54 yards across six carries for an impressive average of 9.0 yards per touch.
“It was a dream come true,” he said. “Just pulling up to the stadium getting that sense that I’m really here now, it was an awesome feeling, and then putting on the pads and running out to the field for the first time, it was emotional. Overall just an awesome time and an awesome game.”
The 20-year-old appears to be quickly solidifying himself as the favorite for touches between All-Pro running back Breece Hall this season.
But Saleh says he and the rest of the coaching staff also likes what they’ve seen from the rest of the group, including fellow rookie Isaiah Davis who led the team with four receptions in Saturday’s victory.
“We love that running back room,” the head coach said. “It’s really come a long way since the first day we were here in camp and we feel like we’ve got some legitimate runners all the way across the board.”
Source Agencies
