The Jets returned to practice Wednesday without RB Breece Hall, who could miss his second straight game Sunday in Jacksonville when the Jets battle the Jaguars. Interim head coach said Hall is "struggling a bit" with the left knee he underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in 2022.
"He's a guy who's proven to be such an amazing teammate this year and his commitment to this game has gone to another place," Ulbrich said of Hall. "His process had gone to another place, and he's been playing with a little bit of pain and fighting his way through that. But it's a thing that's maybe not improving as much as he'd like at this point. So, we'll see how it goes this week."
Hall ranks 16th in scrimmage yards this season, having totaled 1,093 yards (692 rushing/401 receiving) and in his 12 games. He was a gameday inactive against the Dolphins as rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis shared the backfield workload with 28 touches for 148 yards.
"If there was a structural problem from the standpoint of like impacting his future with this team or his future with his career, we would definitely shut him down and if it was the best interest of Breece," Ulbrich said. "We're not at that point right now, so we'll see how it goes."
Ulrich also announced that core special teams contributor Irvin Charles will be placed on injured reserve. Charles, who sustained an ACL tear against the Dolphins, had 7 special teams stops and also blocked a punt in a win over the Titans in Week 2.
"In a very tough, challenging year in a lot of ways for this team, an absolute bright spot for this team, a guy's that's emerged," Ulbrich said of Charles. "I really believe had he finished the season playing the way he's playing, he would have been a shoo-in for Pro Bowl as far as the special teams player is concerned, the core player. He took amazing jumps and leaps and bounds as far as his contributions for us and excited about his future.
"Just so unfortunate the knee happened as it did. I thought it was amazing the way you felt the sideline too with an injury like that. You just felt the love and regard this team has for him and what he's meant to his teammates. They were shook when he got hurt."
Fourth-year LB Jamien Sherwood is another young player who has taken a significant leap in a trying year. Sherwood, who leads the Jets with 121 tackles, recorded a career-high 18 stops in Miami which stands as the Jets record for most tackles in an away game over the past 31 seasons.
"That's one of the best games I've seen a linebacker play in a long time, this game against Miami," Ulbrich said. "He spoke to the team the night before the game and gave an impassioned speech about what he was going to get accomplished the next day and he did exactly what he said he was going to do. Eighteen tackles against a team like that, playing from red line to red line in the run game and protecting our digs and then protecting checkdowns and screens, all that he did and got accomplished this game was pretty special. Just a really cool moment for a kid who's worked really hard to get where he's at."
Cornerback Sauce Gardner, who sat out Week 14 due to hamstring tightness, returned to practice. The Jets will face Jaguars backup Mac Jones, who's been intercepted 5 times in six games, Sunday. Conversely, the Jets have been limited to just two Brandin Echols INTs during their 3-10 start.
"Turnovers – especially interceptions – are a byproduct of operating with some leads, a lot of times they are," said Ulbrich, the team's defensive play-caller. "When quarterbacks feel really two things, they have to throw the ball at a higher frequency for one, and two, they really have to press the ball down the field to make something shake because they have to get back into a game. When that happens, quarterbacks take chances that they wouldn't take otherwise. We haven't put opposing quarterbacks in that situation enough this year. And at the same time, we've missed some (opportunities). And at the same time, there's always an opportunity for me to call maybe let's say a little bit more zone to have zone eyes in those opportune times to get the ball. It's a little bit of a combination of all those things, but I'm not happy for sure about that."
