After the Jets lost star rookie running back Breece Hall, Joe Douglas quickly went to work before the day was over.

Despite winning against one of the best defenses in football, New York still left Denver with two clouds looming over them. Both star rookie running back Breece Hall, and stud offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker left the game early with injuries.

And then, it poured.

Both players, both indescribably valuable to the offense, are done for the season. Hall, who was on pace of a Rookie of the Year award tore his ACL and meniscus. Vera-Tucker, who’s played 3 offensive line positions this season, will require season-ending triceps surgery.

Jets Win, But At What Cost?

For the record, the New York Jets have won every game Breece Hall scored a touchdown in. The catalyst of this offense, Hall was averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He’s also showed to be a prominent figure in the passing attack. Now, New York will push on without the stud rookie who very well could have won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Next man up.

Joe Douglas Fleeces Jacksonville

James Robinson admittedly wasn’t a name I immediately thought of when expecting Jets general manager Joe Douglas to go trade for a supplemental running back.

Robinson was an undrafted free agent for the Jaguars, and then rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign. However, after still spending a first round pick on Travis Etienne in the following Draft, the NFL world was left confused. Jacksonville fans weren’t thrilled, and no one could seemingly comprehend why.

The young back provides that extra gear of bruising power and home-run hitting ability they’d miss with Hall. This isn’t to say Robinson is a comparable replacement to Hall. Not even close. But he schematically fits the offense, and will see a workload split with second-year running back Michael Carter. It’s a win-win for both backs, who will now both see an increase in carries for the season.

The payment for this? A sixth round pick that turns into a 5th if Robinson eclipses 600 yards this season. A 6th, maybe 5th, for a 1,000 yard rusher in his prime. The draft pick the Jets used on this came from sending Blake Cashman to the Texans.

A special teams linebacker who hasn’t played more than seven games a season into a star running back.

The Message

If this was any other reason, Joe Douglas would’ve thrown Breece Hall on injured reserve and called Bam Knight up from the practice squad. But the New York Jets, being a buyer near the trade deadline (Nov. 1) instead of sellers means one thing to the front office: it’s time to move forward.

Joe Douglas no longer believes this is a team in the beginning stages of rebuilding. Robinson is entering a contract year, so New York and it’s run-first offense is poised to have an elite backs room when Hall returns next season. Douglas is using resources to push the success of the Jets now, this season. Not that this is a playoffs-or-bust move: but this isn’t the same old Jets to him. It’s time to win.