Veteran cornerback Leon Hall‘s offseason of free agent visits could finally be coming to an end, as Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 reports (Twitter link) that Hall could make a decision on a new club next week. Hall has been sitting on the open market since March when his contract with the Bengals expired.
[RELATED: Best Available Defensive Free Agents]
PFR ranked Hall as the eighth-best cornerback available this offseason, and the 31-year-old has garnered his fair share of interest over the past several months. Hall took visits with the Cowboys, Cardinals, Giants, and Falcons, and was linked to Dolphins, who now employ his former position coach in Cincinnati, Vance Joseph, as defensive coordinator. Miami reportedly won’t sign Hall, nor will Atlanta, whittling down his options, but if Hall is indeed set to sign a contract next week, both Dallas and Arizona stand out as options, along with several other clubs that haven’t been officially tied to the veteran defensive back.
Hall has spent his entire nine-year NFL career to date in Cincinnati, playing 121 regular-season games since 2007 for the Bengals, and starting 105 of them. However, the Bengals haven’t been overly aggressive when it comes to re-signing their former first-round pick, and used this year’s first-rounder to add another cornerback in Houston’s William Jackson III.
After dealing with a multitude of injuries throughout his career, including two torn Achilles, Hall underwent back surgery this offseason, and that ailment could be limiting his market, as teams might be wary of of his health. But with a new deal seemingly imminent, it would seem that Hall has convinced at least one club that he’ll be ready to go when the regular season begins.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.