Bryce Hall was forced to become a leader quickly this season, with the Jets secondary depth becoming razor thin by the beginning of the regular season.
In his second year as a pro, Hall showed he was up to the challenge, becoming the team’s top cornerback and showing out against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the penultimate game of the regular season, logging nine tackled and two passes defended.
“It was an honor to play with this team and be a part of it,” Hall said. “Regardless of the record, I’m grateful to be here. I have high expectations for this team moving forward. I can’t help but think of the foundation of what we have here and what’s to come here.”
Now, the challenge for Joe Douglas and Gang Green’s front office will be to build around Hall and improve upon a defense that ranked dead last in the NFL in points allowed per game this season.
Hall said he will leave it to Douglas and company when assessing what is needed for next season.
“I don’t know if I’m the guy that’s qualified to say ‘We need this, we need that,’” Hall said. “All I know is we have a good group of young guys that are hungry…I just hope we have the opportunity to continue to grow together.”
But when it comes time to try and lure free agents to New York this offseason, Hall hopes those potential future teammates see the opportunity ahead of them and look past the franchise’s recent history.
“While the rest of the world is looking in and counting us out, I think anyone who has achieved something great…they saw the bigger picture and what it can become,” Hall said. “You have an opportunity to be a part of building something special and change an organization, and change the trajectory of what has been for a while.”
The Jets will have to bring in some quality free agents if they want to take the next step in their rebuild, and while a four-win season likely won’t perk up the ears of some of those big-name free agents, Hall believes the team’s young core will be an attraction.
“It’s easy to go somewhere where everything is going well and they’re having a lot of success,” Hall said. “If you’re optimistic and have vision and hunger to do something special, this is a great opportunity.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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