From a scheme and execution standpoint, it was one of the New York Jets' best plays last season. They emptied the backfield, sending running back Breece Hall wide to the right. Noticing a linebacker on Hall, Aaron Rodgers threw deep to him for a 26-yard touchdown in their Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Their current quarterback, Justin Fields, was impressed. "Breece's hands, when I first got here, they surprised me," Fields said last week at training camp. "I saw a highlight from him from the Tennessee game last year and that touchdown that he caught. ... It's a great, great weapon to have, and I'm pretty sure we're going to utilize him in that way."

That is the plan. Hall led all running backs with a combined 1,074 receiving yards in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but he's capable of more, according to the Jets. The new coaching staff sees a player whose gift is his versatility, a 217-pound back who can line up on the perimeter of the formation and make plays in space.

Given the underwhelming state of their wide receiving corps -- Garrett Wilson and a lot of question marks -- Hall could easily be their second-most targeted player in the passing game.

"This year, you're going to see a guy who's going to really turn it up a notch because of what we're going to do, who we're going to be and because of who he is also," coach Aaron Glenn said. "We're going to open his game up quite a bit. ... He's the type of guy you can split out wide and let him run the route tree, because he can run it like a receiver."

It's interesting how Hall's career has evolved. Some might find some humor in it. It took a six-catch, 76-yard receiving performance in the middle of the 2023 season for then-offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to realize Hall could be a weapon out of the backfield. Hackett shared that sentiment publicly, prompting some eye rolls within the organization.

It seemed obvious to everyone -- well, almost everyone -- that Hall could be a productive pass catcher. His receiving numbers spiked after that big game against the New York Giants (the lightbulb moment!), including a 12-catch performance late in the '23 season. He led all running backs with 76 receptions that year.

Glenn and his staff won't sleep on Hall's receiving skill. As offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said, "It's been fun to see him develop the route tree, not just out of the backfield, but outside the backfield as well."

Hall has made 130 of his 152 career receptions from the backfield, with only 22 coming from the slot and wide, per ESPN Research. He wasn't deployed that often in that role, relative to the other top pass-catching backs.

In 2023 and 2024, Hall lined up in the slot or wide on 125 snaps, far less than the Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson (207 snaps) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Rachaad White (158).

Clearly, Glenn & Co. believe Hall was under-utilized in that fashion. During a recent practice, Glenn, mic'd up by the Jets' in-house media team, told Hall his plans for him. It came after Hall made a nice catch in a one-on-one passing drill.

"That's where we're going to open up your game this whole year, you know what I'm saying?" Glenn told him. "Not just running the ball, but being able to do something like that. You dig what I'm saying? That's where your game's going to open up, bro. [It's] a mismatch. I'll take you over anybody out there, any safety or linebacker."

It sounds great in theory, but there could be obstacles. For one, Hall needs to be a reliable pass catcher. He dropped a career-high six passes in 2024. There's also the matter of pass protection. If Hall is lined up wide, it probably means the backfield is empty, leaving Fields vulnerable to blitzers.

This is a pivotal year for Hall, who will be eligible for free agency after the season. He's already on record as saying he doesn't expect a contract extension before the season, meaning he's playing for his financial future. The more he produces, the more money he gets from the Jets or another team.

"For me, it's always been, 'He's got potential, he's got potential,'" Hall said. "But now I want to be the [finished] product."

He still hasn't put together a consistent, start-to-finish, injury-free season, and yet he still ranks 11th in scrimmage yards per game (90.6) since 2022, his rookie year. As he noted, the narrative always is about what he can do, not what he's done.

Maybe that changes this season. In a recent practice, he lined up wide right, ran a "go" pattern and made an over-the-shoulder, falling-down catch -- perhaps a glimpse of what's to come.