NFL Preseason 2026: Breece Hall Injury Scare, Giants Add Chandler Martin, Commanders Back Drew Stevens

The NFL preseason rarely moves in a straight line.

One team spends Monday worrying about the health of a star running back.

Another adds a recently cleared linebacker to rebuild defensive depth.

A third decides an undrafted rookie has done enough to take a job away from an experienced kicker.

That was the shape of the latest NFL news cycle as the New York Jets received an injury scare involving Breece Hall, the New York Giants moved to sign Chandler Martin, and the Washington Commanders prepared to release Jake Moody in favor of rookie Drew Stevens.

None of the three developments will decide the 2026 NFL season by itself.

All three matter because August is when roster assumptions begin turning into real decisions.

The Sports Encounter continues tracking injuries, roster battles, contracts and preseason developments through our NFL coverage hub.

NFL Training Camp News at a Glance

Team	Development	Key Detail	Why It Matters
New York Jets	Breece Hall suffers groin injury	Initial belief is that the injury is not serious	Jets need their newly extended RB healthy before Week 1
New York Giants	Signing Chandler Martin	One-year deal after ACL recovery	Reunites Martin with John Harbaugh and adds linebacker depth
Washington Commanders	Expected to release Jake Moody	Undrafted rookie Drew Stevens wins kicking job	Washington continues one of the NFL’s most unstable kicking situations

Breece Hall’s Groin Injury Gives the Jets Their Latest August Scare

The Jets received the most important health-related news of the three stories when Breece Hall left Monday’s practice after suffering a groin injury.

Hall went down untouched after making a catch and left the field accompanied by trainers.

Further evaluation is expected, but head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters that the initial belief is that the injury is not serious.

That qualification matters.

Groin injuries can range from minor training-camp interruptions to problems that affect acceleration, lateral movement and workload for several weeks. Until the Jets receive the full medical assessment, there is little reason to speculate beyond what Glenn has said publicly.

What is clear is how important Hall has become to the offense.

The 25-year-old is entering his fifth NFL season after signing a three-year, $45.75 million contract extension in May.

That deal reflected what the Jets believe they have in their backfield.

Hall has accumulated 3,398 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns since New York selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State.

He has also become a major receiving threat, catching 188 passes for 1,642 yards and nine touchdowns across 56 games, including 50 starts.

The most important number came last season.

Hall rushed for a career-high 1,065 yards in 2025, becoming the first Jets player to surpass 1,000 rushing yards since Chris Ivory in 2015.

That ended a decade-long drought and established Hall as more than a talented complementary piece.

He became a genuine offensive foundation.

Why the Jets will be cautious

The Jets are still in preseason mode.

They play their second preseason game Friday on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers before opening the regular season against the Tennessee Titans on September 13.

There is therefore very little incentive to push Hall through discomfort simply to preserve practice repetitions.

If medical testing supports Glenn’s early optimism, New York can reduce his workload and prioritize getting him fully healthy for Week 1.

That would be the logical decision for a player the franchise committed more than $45 million to only a few months ago.

The greater concern would be any recurrence or evidence that the issue limits explosive movement as the regular season approaches.

The official update remains relatively encouraging: Hall requires further testing, but the Jets do not currently believe the injury is serious. Reuters reported the injury and Glenn’s initial assessment after Monday’s practice.

The Jets Cannot Afford to Lose Their Offensive Balance

Hall’s value goes beyond rushing production.

Modern NFL offenses increasingly ask running backs to affect defenses from multiple alignments.

Hall can run inside.

He can bounce carries outside.

He can catch underneath passes.

He can create yards after the catch.

That versatility changes how linebackers and safeties defend the Jets.

Even a temporary absence would force New York to redistribute touches and potentially reveal more of its offensive plans during preseason.

The Jets therefore have every reason to treat this as a warning rather than an emergency unless the medical evaluation says otherwise.

Training camp has already reminded several teams how quickly an apparently settled depth chart can change. The Sports Encounter recently covered similar uncertainty in our NFL injury and training-camp reporting, where availability has become one of the dominant themes of the preseason.

Giants Add Chandler Martin as John Harbaugh Continues Building Familiar Depth

Across New York, the Giants are adding a linebacker with a familiar connection to their new head coach.

Chandler Martin is expected to sign a one-year contract with the Giants, according to an ESPN report carried by Reuters.

The 23-year-old spent his rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens, appearing in three games after entering the league as an undrafted free agent.

He recorded five tackles before suffering a torn ACL in Week 13.

Martin has now been medically cleared to return.

The Giants move reunites him with John Harbaugh, who coached him in Baltimore before taking over in New York.

That connection is important.

Harbaugh spent 18 seasons with the Ravens before becoming Giants head coach this year, and New York has already shown a willingness to bring in players familiar with his system and expectations.

The move is less about headline value and more about building a roster with players the coaching staff understands.

Why Martin makes sense for the Giants

Martin is young.

He is inexpensive.

He has already worked under Harbaugh.

He offers linebacker and special-teams depth.

He also arrives at a point when preseason rosters are increasingly about identifying the final five to 10 players who can survive multiple roles.

Martin does not need to become a starting linebacker for this signing to work.

If he proves healthy and contributes on special teams while providing defensive depth, the Giants will have extracted value from a low-risk one-year deal.

His recent path has been unstable.

After Baltimore, Martin signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in March and again in June before being waived twice.

Now he lands with another NFC East team.

That makes his next few weeks especially important.

The Giants are not giving him a reputation-based roster spot.

They are giving him another audition.

Harbaugh’s Giants Continue to Add Players He Knows

Martin’s arrival fits a broader trend.

Harbaugh has been rebuilding the Giants around a combination of existing talent and players who understand the standards he established in Baltimore.

That familiarity can matter during a first training camp.

New coaches spend enormous time installing terminology, practice expectations and situational habits.

Players who already understand the coach can shorten that learning curve for the rest of the roster.

Martin will still need to prove his knee is ready for NFL contact.

But the signing makes football sense.

It also gives the Giants another developmental piece during a preseason in which their larger objective is restoring the “championship culture” Harbaugh has repeatedly discussed since taking the job.

Washington’s Kicking Carousel Spins Again

The most decisive roster move comes from Washington.

The Commanders intend to release veteran kicker Jake Moody and hand the position to undrafted rookie Drew Stevens.

If that decision becomes official, Stevens will become Washington’s 12th kicker since 2021 and eighth since the beginning of the 2024 season.

That number explains the problem better than almost anything else.

The Commanders have not simply struggled to find an elite kicker.

They have struggled to find stability.

By comparison, NFC East rival Dallas has used Brandon Aubrey in all 51 regular-season games since 2023.

Washington has cycled through Joey Slye, Dustin Hopkins, Chris Blewitt, Brian Johnson, Austin Seibert, Greg Joseph, Cade York, Zane Gonzalez, Matt Gay and Moody during roughly the same broader period.

Now Stevens gets his chance.

Why Jake Moody lost the job

Moody’s departure is surprising if judged only by his late-2025 numbers.

After joining Washington from Chicago’s practice squad, he converted 10 of 11 field-goal attempts for the Commanders.

He re-signed in March on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

That should have given him the inside track entering camp.

Instead, Stevens outperformed him.

Reuters reported that Moody missed five kicks during training camp and nearly missed a 29-yard attempt during Washington’s preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Stevens converted from 41 yards in that game.

Preseason kicking competitions can turn quickly because coaches are evaluating more than one Sunday box score.

They track practice consistency.

They measure ball flight.

They examine operation time with the snapper and holder.

They test range under different conditions.

Moody apparently did not provide enough consistency to protect his job.

Drew Stevens Has Earned This Opportunity

Stevens arrives without NFL regular-season experience but with a substantial college résumé.

During four seasons at Iowa, he converted 76 of 95 field-goal attempts.

He set school records for total field goals made and for field goals from 50 yards or longer, converting 12 from that range.

His career also included a 58-yard field goal that tied the school record.

Those numbers matter because Washington is not simply choosing youth for the sake of change.

Stevens has demonstrated legitimate range.

The bigger challenge will be translating that consistency to the NFL.

College kicking and NFL kicking look similar from the stands.

The pressure environment is different.

NFL games are often decided by one possession.

A missed 43-yarder in September can become the central storyline of an entire week.

Washington has lived through enough kicking volatility to understand that better than most teams.

The Commanders Need Stability More Than Another Short-Term Fix

The Stevens decision will only become meaningful if he keeps the job.

Twelve kickers since 2021 is not a healthy roster trend.

It creates constant uncertainty in close games and forces coaches to reconsider field-goal range during fourth-down decisions.

A reliable kicker changes play-calling.

If a coach trusts a player from 52 yards, a third-and-long near midfield does not automatically require aggressive fourth-down thinking.

If the kicker is unreliable, every drive becomes slightly more complicated.

Stevens therefore has an opportunity larger than winning a camp battle.

He can end a revolving door.

That would matter to a Commanders franchise that has become increasingly valuable off the field as well. The Sports Encounter recently noted Washington’s rise to a reported $9.64 billion valuation in our look at the NFL’s extraordinary franchise-value surge.

A team worth nearly $10 billion would undoubtedly prefer its kicker position to feel a little less temporary.

What These Three Stories Say About August in the NFL

Breece Hall, Chandler Martin and Drew Stevens occupy completely different positions in the league.

Hall is an established offensive star with a new long-term contract.

Martin is fighting to rebuild his career after an ACL injury.

Stevens is an undrafted rookie winning an NFL job before he has played a regular-season snap.

Their stories intersect because August is when NFL careers become especially fragile.

An untouched step can produce an injury scare.

A player released twice can receive another opportunity.

A veteran can lose his job to a rookie because of five bad practice kicks.

Nothing stays theoretical for long.

Who Has the Most at Stake?

Hall has the most organizational importance.

If his injury were to become more serious than initially expected, the Jets would have to reconsider their offensive workload before the regular season even begins.

Martin has the most personal urgency.

He is returning from a torn ACL and has already been waived twice by Philadelphia this year. Every preseason snap may influence whether he remains on an NFL roster.

Stevens has the clearest opportunity.

Washington appears ready to trust him with one of the most unforgiving jobs in professional sports.

One successful season could turn him from an undrafted rookie into the solution to a problem the Commanders have been trying to solve for years.

TSE Verdict: The Preseason Is Already Creating Real Consequences

Preseason football is often dismissed because the results do not count in the standings.

The decisions absolutely count.

The Jets now have to manage the health of the most important running back on their roster.

The Giants have decided Chandler Martin deserves another chance to prove his ACL recovery is complete.

The Commanders have seen enough of their kicking competition to choose an undrafted rookie over a veteran who made 10 of 11 field goals for them last season.

Those are real consequences.

Hall’s next medical update will determine whether the Jets can treat Monday as a temporary scare.

Martin’s next few weeks will determine whether his reunion with Harbaugh becomes a genuine second chance or another short stop.

Stevens will discover very quickly whether winning a training-camp competition is easier than keeping an NFL kicking job.

The regular season is still weeks away.

The roster decisions are already arriving.

For more preseason news, injuries, roster battles and player analysis, follow The Sports Encounter’s NFL coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to Breece Hall?

Jets running back Breece Hall left Monday’s practice after suffering a groin injury. He went down untouched after making a catch and is expected to undergo further testing.

Is Breece Hall’s injury serious?

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said the initial belief is that the injury is not serious, although further medical testing is still required.

How much is Breece Hall’s new contract worth?

Hall signed a three-year, $45.75 million extension with the Jets in May 2026.

Who are the Giants signing?

The Giants are expected to sign linebacker Chandler Martin to a one-year contract.

Who is Chandler Martin?

Martin is a 23-year-old linebacker who appeared in three games for the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted rookie before suffering a torn ACL in Week 13 of the 2025 season.

Why does Chandler Martin know John Harbaugh?

Martin played for Harbaugh in Baltimore. Harbaugh became Giants head coach in 2026, making the signing a reunion between player and coach.

Are the Commanders releasing Jake Moody?

Multiple reports indicate Washington intends to release Moody and hand the kicking job to undrafted rookie Drew Stevens.

Who is Drew Stevens?

Stevens is a former Iowa kicker who converted 76 of 95 field-goal attempts in college and set school records for field goals made and 50-yard field goals.

How many kickers have the Commanders used since 2021?

Stevens is set to become the 12th player to handle the kicking role for Washington since 2021 and the eighth since the beginning of the 2024 season.

When do the Jets open the 2026 regular season?

The Jets are scheduled to open on September 13 against the Tennessee Titans.

The Sports Encounter follows NFL injuries, contracts, preseason battles, roster decisions and the players shaping the 2026 season.