Entering the 2026 season, New York Jets running back Braelon Allen had yet to live up to the hype surrounding his imposing frame. This season was bound to be a make-or-break third year for the former fourth-round pick.

In Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, Allen finally delivered on the potential that the Jets have often touted.

Allen is starting to change the narrative

Ahead of the 2026 season, Allen really hadn’t shown much to warrant him being the Jets’ clear-cut RB2. It wasn’t entirely his fault, though.

Allen’s rookie year was nothing spectacular, but the Jets had a ton of offensive turmoil that year; it would have been ludicrous to expect big numbers from a fourth-round rookie then.

The 2025 season was supposed to be Allen’s first real opportunity to break out. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury during the team’s Week 4 matchup.

Allen ultimately made a full recovery and was ready to go for training camp in 2026, where he’d begin preparing for his third year in the pros. After some ups and downs, Allen broke out in Week 5, carrying the Jets’ offense to victory in a rain-soaked game.

Through four games, Allen had carried the ball 33 times for just 120 yards and a touchdown, averaging 3.6 yards per carry. On Sunday, though, Allen posted career-highs of 24 carries for 116 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and scoring the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

That go-ahead score came on a career-long 22-yard rush. It highlights an improvement that Allen showed throughout Sunday’s game: explosiveness.

Since he was drafted, Allen was never viewed as a breakaway threat out of the backfield. Most folks envisioned him as a bruising power back who could become a Brandon Jacobs-type player.

Throughout his first two years in the league, the Jets had used Allen a fair amount in short-yardage circumstances, and he looked solid in that role. In his first two NFL seasons, Allen had converted 12 of 15 attempts (80.0%) on third or fourth down with two or fewer yards to go. The NFL average was 70.7%.

Despite his success in those short-yardage spots, he didn’t offer much more than that. He averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in those two seasons, while his longest run across 110 attempts went for just 20 yards. Those numbers didn’t inspire confidence that he could step up and be a serviceable starter if Breece Hall went down.

Allen also revealed this offseason that he weighed in at 250 pounds, about a 10-pound increase from his prior two years, when he played at 240 pounds. At the time, the upside was that the Jets planned to lean into his bread-and-butter as a short-yardage back, but it also suggested his long speed could be even more limited.

Against the Browns, though, Allen looked more explosive than he has at any point in his career. Allen had five carries for at least 10 yards, nearly matching the seven that he had in his career entering the game (on 143 carries).

The 250-pounder has also forced 14 missed tackles this season, including eight against Cleveland alone, according to Pro Football Focus. He has also generated 182 yards after contact, which accounts for 79% of his total rushing output. Hall, meanwhile, has generated just 96 yards after contact on 51 rushing attempts this season.

Sunday’s win over the Browns was the first example of Allen creating yards for himself and playing an integral role within the offense. He showed why the Jets believe that he can handle the role.

Without a doubt, Hall is one of the Jets’ most talented offensive players, and he is certainly the Jets’ primary workhorse back. However, on Sunday, Allen made a convincing case that he deserves a meaningful role in the offense, even when Hall returns to action.

Both players should have room to contribute. While it was a different regime at the time, that seemed to be the goal when the Jets drafted Allen and Isaiah Davis: have one of them emerge as a legitimate No. 2 to Hall.

Sunday represented the best football Allen has played in his career. If he can continue showing that type of explosiveness, the Jets could have a legitimate one-two punch.

The most encouraging part of Allen’s start to the year is that he has shown signs of adding strengths to his game on top of his size. He had yet to show this level of elusiveness and explosiveness in the NFL before.

The Jets certainly shouldn’t fully abandon Allen once Hall reenters the fold. Both have a role in the offense.