The Cincinnati Bengals have been linked through insiders to be checking in on a possible trade for running back Jonathan Taylor from the Indianapolis Colts, but another running back may be just as good of a target. The New York Jets may be looking to see what they can get for running back Breece Hall as he gets healthy from a quad injury.
Jason Buechler from Sports Illustrated also brought up a good point for Hall being a decent target for teams:
Hall is in the first year of a three-year contract,
so this is more than a rental. Hall could slot into the Bengals’ offense and take over the backfield immediately. With the Ohio team holding all its 2027 draft picks, including an extra third-rounder, New York could push for the Bengals’ second-round pick.
While it is true that Hall and Taylor both have two years left on their contracts after this season (Hall has a couple void years attached to his), Hall’s overall cap hit and age are much closer to what Cincinnati would prefer to take on. Not to mention the team could cut ties very easily before the 2028 season and save roughly $12 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap. Taylor’s deal has a similar out, but his caph hit exceeds $20 million starting next season.
The other thing here to consider is the cost. A third round pick could get this pick done for a player who is still well within their prime while also costing less money. Taylor is a wonderful player, but considering the Colts would like a multiple pick return which would seemingly need to include a second round pick, it makes that a hard pill to swallow.
We are of course playing in the hypothetical space where the team had to choose one. I think a vast majority of fans would agree that adding a couple of players to the back seven would do worlds more to improve this team overall than a running back.
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