The New York Jets have had some great battles with former offensive tackle Terron Armstead.
The longtime tackle, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, retired this offseason after a 12-year career. He was an All-Pro player once and reached Pro Bowl status five times.
After a nine-year run with the New Orleans Saints, Armstead joined Miami in 2022. Over three years, the Dolphins went 3-2 against the Jets with Armstead in the starting lineup.
Despite the obvious rivalry in the AFC East, a post-retirement Armstead believes there’s one Jets position group that is among the best in the league – and it isn’t one that many expect.
But should Jets fans buy into the hype?
Rival Defends Jets’ Runners
At the beginning of the offseason, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn made it clear that the team plans to use a committee approach in their running back room. That seemed like a surprise due to former second-round pick Breece Hall’s prior impact as the lead back.
Armstead is one former player who believes that the committee approach will only help the Jets in the future.
Speaking on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” podcast, the Pro Bowl tackle believes that the duo of Hall and Braelon Allen has the potential to be the best in the league.
“Breece Hall, Braelon Allen [are the NFL’s best 1-2 punch at running back],” Armstead said. “I think it’s a response year from Breece Hall. We saw the explosion early in his career, and he was derailed by injury. I think it’s this year he takes off and he shows for him he’s a top 5 running back in the league.
“Braelon Allen in the short-yardage game, goal-line game, he’s a bruiser. 6-1, [235], big powerful back. I really think this 1-2 punch is the top of the league.”
Armstead also mentioned that the arrival of starting quarterback Justin Fields will only help enhance New York’s rushing offense going into the 2025 season.
Will Armstead’s Prediction Pan Out?
New York ran the ball less than any other team in the league last season (21.4 attempts per game). A big part of that was the offensive system run by former quarterback Aaron Rodgers and play-caller Nathaniel Hackett. Hall’s numbers plummeted.
There’s reason to suspect that the organization should be much better at running the ball in 2025 – and it doesn’t even have to do with the skill positions on the roster.
The Jets’ offensive line has the potential to be one of the best in the league. With the arrival of seventh overall pick Armand Membou, the Jets believe they have the full collection of offensive linemen to impose their will on any opponent.
Additionally, the Jets’ coaching staff should be more successful at establishing a run game than last year’s Hackett-Rodgers system. Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand comes from a run-heavy Lions scheme that excelled at using the run game to set up the play-action pass game.
It may be a bit premature to consider the Jets’ running back duo as the league’s best, though, especially considering the Detroit Lions’ tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery is not going anywhere. Other teams like the Washington Commanders (Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson) and Atlanta Falcons (Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier) can lay claim to that mark as well.
That doesn’t mean the Jets don’t have a great room. There is a reason New York’s coaching staff is high on its running back duo this season. With a “bruiser” like Allen and a complete star in Hall, it is a well-balanced pairing that should be much better with an improved offensive line and a run-minded coaching staff.
And it is something that even a former rival in Armstead fully understands.