Why isn't Breece Hall playing against the Steelers?

In the long run, Breece Hall will probably be the same dynamic, multipurpose running back he has usually been in his four-year NFL career so far. But for now, in August, during the dog days of summer, the New York Jets have to be careful. That means giving Hall the appropriate amount of time to recover from a tricky soft-tissue injury.

On Friday night, you will not see Hall play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in their preseason game. That’s because Hall is actively recovering from a groin injury he suffered earlier this month. Hall’s groin injury is believed to be minor, but that’s still enough to keep him out for several weeks, while hoping he’s ready to play to start the season.

The fact of the matter is that Hall has too much responsibility in the Jets’ offense to ask him to push himself on a soft-tissue injury before real games have even started:

Source: The follow-up on Breece Hall’s groin confirmed the injury is minor — big sigh of relief for the #Jets.

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They’ll be cautious with him, but it’s weeks, not months. pic.twitter.com/bmGfL7hdbF

— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 17, 2026

The Jets open their 2026 regular season on the road against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. We’ll see whether Hall will be available for the matchup.

Braelon Allen is listed as Hall’s backup on the Jets’ depth chart at the time of this writing.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why isn’t Breece Hall playing against the Steelers?