As the normal RB1, Breece Hall, deals with a quadricep injury sustained late in last Sunday's game at Detroit, Agent 0 -- third-year man Braelon Allen, jersey No. 0 -- has been taking the majority of reps in practice ahead of the Jets' Week 4 game at Chicago.

"Just hope he's OK," is how Allen described his reaction when Hall left the game against the Lions in the fourth quarter. "That it's not something serious. And thankfully that was the case. I've always prepared like I'm the lead guy."

He added: "Nothing really changes for me in terms of preparation or my mindset, anything like that. I've always prepared to be in that position."

Although, there was one thing Allen was never prepared for: a season-ending knee injury, an MCL sprain, almost exactly one year ago in the Week 4 "Monday Night Football" game at Miami.

"It was crazy last night [Tuesday], laying in bed and for whatever reason ... I don't think about it often," Allen told team reporter Eric Allen earlier this week. "But for some reason, thoughts of what I was going through during my rehab, and I think it was because I was uncomfortable in the bed, and for whatever reason had my legs propped up, and it was just creating flashbacks of being locked in that brace and having to sleep on my back and couldn't move, and just those thoughts were coming to my head, and definitely appreciate where I'm at now."

Allen, 22, stayed around the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center for much of the offseason, rehabbing his knee and bulking up an already imposing frame. He is 6-1, but his upper body is impressive and chiseled on a 235-pound frame.

In the season-opening victory at Tennessee in Week 1, Allen had 10 carries for 40 yards and also had an apparent TD run from 23 yards nullified by penalty. Since then, in games against the Packers and the Lions, Allen carried the ball an additional 9 times. After being selected by the Jets in Round 4 (No. 134 overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Wisconsin native (Fond du Lac), who also stayed "home" to play for the Badgers, had 92 carries for 334 yards and 2 TDs.

In three collegiate seasons, he rolled up 3,494 yards (5.9 per over 597 carries), but as he got closer to the draft, Allen began to hear talk that he was a battering ram in the run game who preferred not to be battered in pass protection.

"'I'm prideful and I would say pass protection wasn't one of my weaknesses," Allen said. "But I think some people did have that on me as one of my weaknesses, and it was all about just growth.

"And when I got to the league, it's like just go put your face on his and don't get run over, basically. And that's kind of the mentality I've had. I just want to hit."

Heading into the season with new OC Frank Reich pushing for a vigorous rush attack behind an elite offensive line, Hall, Allen and Isaiah Davis were out on the practice field playfully trying to one-up each other through OTAs, minicamp and training camp.

"That's healthy, it drives us all to be the best," Allen said. "And as much as I want to be a workhorse back in this league, I want to see Breece eat as well and be the best back in the league. And I know he wants the same for me, just not taking it off his plate. We just push each other, and it's all healthy. It's all super beneficial, and we all have so much love and respect for each other. It's been a lot of fun."