The Washington Commanders already made a somewhat surprising running back trade to begin this season. This week, the Commanders received encouragement to make another even bigger move — acquire New York Jets running back Breece Hall.
Pro Football Network’s Josh Weil named Hall a blockbuster trade candidate for the Commanders on October 6. Weil proposed Washington trade a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Jets for Hall and a 2026 seventh-rounder.
“The Washington Commanders have found a gem in Jacory Croskey-Merritt. With Austin Ekeler out for the season, they don’t have much experience behind him, so they should consider a move,” Weil wrote. Along with his knowledge, bringing in Breece Hall from the Jets brings a whole new dynamic to the offense, as Croskey-Merritt isn’t used in the passing game much, whereas Hall can be strong in all facets of the game.
“Having a two-headed monster like this will both lower the workload of Croskey-Merritt and bring a hungry player with free agency looming to get his first taste of playoff football. Hall takes this offense to a level that can help them execute even more consistently, and make them a real threat to the Eagles’ hold on the division crown.”
As Weil explained, adding Hall would give the Commanders a 1-2 punch again in their backfield. Washington opened the season with Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Austin Ekeler as their top two running backs.
However, the team lost Ekeler to a season-ending torn Achilles during Week 2.
Without Ekeler, Croskey-Merritt has led the league with a 6.6 yards per carry average. Crosky-Merritt has posted 283 rushing yards and four touchdowns along with five catches for 54 yards.
Hall, who the Jets drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, has 351 rushing yards. He’s averaged 5.3 yards per carry this season.
What Breece Hall Could Bring to Commanders
Hall is becoming an afterthought with the winless Jets. After the team drafted him at No. 34 overall in 2022, he quickly burst onto the scene with a 5.8 yards per carry average in his rookie season.
But a torn ACL and meniscus cut the running back’s first NFL season short. Hall was solid while remaining healthy in 2023 and 2024, but he failed to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark in either campaign while playing in a struggling Jets offense.
Hall, though, could be a terrific complement to Croskey-Merritt. Not only would he give the Commanders more depth, Hall’s a better pass-catcher than the seventh-round rookie.
In 2023, Hall had 76 catches for 591 receiving yards. Thanks to his pass-catching ability, he has reached at least 1,350 yards from scrimmage each of the past two years.
Having another back such as Hall will also help Croskey-Merritt avoid hitting the rookie wall. Croskey-Merritt is on pace for 163 touches this season. He only had one such season at the top level in college.
Commanders RB Depth Entering Week 6
Without Ekeler, the Commanders have used veteran Jeremy McNichols and 2023 sixth-rounder Chris Rodriguez as their depth running backs. Both backs have been efficient when carrying the ball.
But neither has a lot of touches. In fact, quarterback Jayden Daniels is second to Croskey-Merritt for Washington in rushing yards.
Adding Hall would give the Commanders another dimension to their ground attack and important depth. Acquiring Hall would be an aggressive move, but it would be an appropriate one since Washington advanced to the NFC Championship Game last season.
It is worth wondering, though, how much better could the Commanders really get on the ground with any running back addition through a trade. Entering Week 6, Washington sits ranked first in rushing yards and yards per carry.
The Commanders are also eighth in points scored and 13th in total yards.
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