Leon Hall - Pro Football Rumors

Raiders Place Leon Hall On IR

November 30th, 2018 at 3:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders placed cornerback Leon Hall on injured reserve with a back injury. Hall missed the club’s Week 12 game and the ailment is serious enough to rule him out for the rest of the year.

Hall, 34 in December, was one of several veteran players to join Jon Gruden’s Raiders in the offseason. Hall is no longer the player that he was during his Bengals heyday, but he did serve as a positive force in the locker room and a mentor to rookie nickelback Nick Nelson.

Hall’s season ends after ten games, four of which he started. He recorded 25 total tackles with three passes defensed and one quarterback hit. It remains to be seen whether he’ll try to play again in 2019.

In a corresponding move, the club signed cornerback Montrel Meander off of the Browns’ practice squad. Meander spent the preseason with the Browns and appeared as a safety in their exhibition games. As noted by Pro Football Focus (on Twitter), he was targeted seven times in 48 coverage snaps and allowed one catch for 12 yards with one pass breakup.

Extra Points: Jets, Bowles, Seahawks, Thomas, Saints, Crawley, Raiders, Hall

September 21st, 2018 at 7:24pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Not too long ago, the Jets were riding high off their Week 1 Monday Night Football win over the Lions as they kicked off the Sam Darnold era and all was well in New York. Now things have gone south quickly, as the team has dropped two straight games to the Dolphins and Browns. And although coach Todd Bowles recently landed a contract extension that locks him up through the 2020 season, his job isn’t necessarily safe writes Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.

While Vacchiano cautions that these first couple games wont determine Bowles’ future, he writes that “the feeling around the Jets is still that the 54-year-old Bowles isn’t really that safe at all.” It’s an interesting development considering Bowles was widely praised last season for leading the team to a surprise 5-11 record. Before last season, Bowles had been thought to be on one of the hottest seats in the entire league. It will be interesting to watch play out, but it looks like Bowles might not be the coach of the future in New York.

Here’s more from around the league:

Earl Thomas didn’t practice for the Seahawks today, and coach Pete Carroll was extremely vague about why according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Carroll said it wasn’t an injury and was something the team was dealing with, but wouldn’t commit to Thomas playing this Sunday. This immediately revived trade rumors that have surrounded Thomas all year, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be on the move at this point. The team that was most-linked to Thomas this offseason, the Cowboys, aren’t pursuing him at the moment as EVP Stephen Jones said the team was “not exchanging any calls or any information at this time” according to Jon Machota of Dallas News (Twitter link). It’s a strange situation, and while it doesn’t seem like he’ll be traded, Condotta writes “no one will say” why he isn’t practicing.
The Saints’ defense, particularly their secondary, has struggled mightily this year. A large part of the problem has been cornerback Ken Crawley, who has now been benched ahead of the team’s Week 3 matchup with the Falcons according to Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com (Twitter link). Fourth-year player P.J. Williams will move into the lineup in his place.
Raiders cornerback Leon Hall was hospitalized after the team’s Week 2 game against the Broncos according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Hall has a sickle cell trait issue that can flare up at altitude. He’s expected to play for this team this Sunday in Miami.

Contract Details: Mathieu, Pamphile, Watson, Weeden

March 31st, 2018 at 9:35am CST by Ben Levine

Some details on recent free agent deals (all links via Twitter):

Tyrann Mathieu, S (Texans): $2MM base salary in 2018. $4.5MM signing bonus, $500K worth of per-game bonus (via Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com).
Kevin Pamphile, OG (Titans): $1MM base salary, $400K guaranteed. $850K worth of incentives (via ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe).
Ben Watson, TE (Saints): One year, $2MM. $645K signing bonus/guaranteed (via Nick Underhill of The Advocate).
Marcus Sherels, CB/PR (Vikings): Worth $1.4MM, base salary $1.05MM. $250K signing bonus, $500K guaranteed, $100K workout bonus (via ESPN’s Ben Goessling).

NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero also has signing bonus/guarantee details on players who signed one-year deals: TE Levine Toilolo $400K (Lions), LB Pernell McPhee $350K (Redskins), QB Brandon Weeden $90K (Texans), CB Leon Hall $45K (Raiders).

Raiders Sign CB Leon Hall

March 29th, 2018 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have signed veteran cornerback Leon Hall. Agent Doug Hendrickson announced the agreement on Twitter and the team confirmed the news moments later via press release.

The deal means that Hall will be staying put in the Bay Area after playing for the 49ers in 2017. Hall is 33 years old and will turn 34 in December, but new coach Jon Gruden has shown a predilection for signing older players this offseason. Previously this month, the Raiders signed aging vets such as wide receiver Jordy Nelson, running back Doug Martin, and safety Reggie Nelson.

The Raiders have shaken up the secondary in recent weeks as Sean Smith, David Amerson, and T.J. Carrie are out and free agents Rashaan Melvin and Shareece Wright are in to join 2017 first-round pick Gareon Conley at cornerback. Conley and Melvin project to start on the outside while Hall could factor in as a nickel back.

Hall spent the bulk of his career with the Bengals, but has bounced around since 2016. Last year, in nine games, Hall played on 34% of SF’s defensive snaps and 20% of the club’s special teams snaps. He amassed 15 tackles and one pass defensed.

Raiders Interested In CB Leon Hall

March 26th, 2018 at 9:27am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders are in talks with free agent cornerback Leon Hall, reports Vic Tafur of the Athletic (Twitter link).

Under new head coach Jon Gruden, Oakland has moved in a decidedly veteran direction this offseason, reaching deals with aging players such as wide receiver Jordy Nelson, running back Doug Martin, and safety Reggie Nelson. Hall — at age-33 — would certainly fit that bill, and give the Raiders another option in a secondary that’s seen considerable overhaul over the past several months.

Sean Smith, David Amerson, and T.J. Carrie are out in Oakland’s defensive backfield, while free agents Rashaan Melvin and Shareece Wright now join a cornerback depth chart that also includes 2017 first-round pick Gareon Conley. With Conley and Melvin as the projected outside starters, Hall would likely play in a nickel role if signed by the Raiders.

Hall, a longtime Bengal, has bounced around since 2016, and spent last season with the 49ers. In nine games (one start), Hall played on 34% of San Francisco’s defensive snaps and 20% of the club’s special teams snaps. In that time, Hall put up 15 tackles and one pass defensed.

49ers Re-Sign CB Leon Hall

October 24th, 2017 at 2:56pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers fans didn’t even get a chance to miss Leon Hall. Days after getting cut, the veteran cornerback has been re-signed, the team announced. In related moves, the Niners have cut defensive lineman Xavier Cooper and tight end Logan Paulsen. They also confirmed the signing of defensive lineman Datone Jones.

Hall was handed a pink slip on Oct. 19, but the Niners are calling on him once again after cornerback K’Waun Williams suffered a quadriceps injury. This time around, the veteran is hoping for a longer stint with the team. Hall was first signed on Oct. 10 and did not see live action in his two weeks on the roster. He did, however, collect on two game checks and participate in four practices.

Paulsen was signed late last week to fill the spot vacated by Hall’s release. Today’s switcharoo will put Paulsen on the free agent market since he is a vested veteran and not subject to waivers.

NFC Notes: Vikings, Bridgewater, Redskins

October 23rd, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are wary of exposing Teddy Bridgewater to the slippery turf in London next week, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The QB says he’s ready to go, but Minnesota is taking the cautious approach and waiting until the post-bye game in Week 10 to put Bridgewater on the roster. Of course, the Vikings may still have a tough choice to make when it comes to whether they will actually put him on the field. Case Keenum has looked sharp since stepping in for Sam Bradford, so the team could opt to continue with him as the starter.

Now that Duane Brown is back with the Texans, the best available left tackle is now Will Beatty, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com opines (Twitter link). He notes that Beatty “recently” worked out for the Saints, but it’s not clear if that is in reference to his mid-September workout or if he had a more recent audition for New Orleans. Rapoport notes that the Saints had some offensive line injuries on Sunday, so he could be a fit for them now.
Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who has been dealing with a knee injury, is pushing to play against Philly on Monday night (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Washington is hoping that Breeland will be somewhat close to 100% as Josh Norman is sidelined with a rib injury.
Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if Leon Hall is back with the 49ers in the wake of K’Waun Williams‘ quad injury. The veteran was released by SF last week after earning two game checks, though he appeared in zero games.

49ers Cut CB Leon Hall

October 19th, 2017 at 2:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Well, that was fast. The 49ers have released cornerback Leon Hall, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Hall signed with the Niners on October 10 and the hope was that he would help turn around their lackluster secondary. Just over one week later, the 49ers have decided they are not pleased with what they’ve seen.

Hall could catch on with another team, but it seems his best days are behind him as he has yet to replicate his best work from a couple years back with the Bengals. After nine seasons with the Bengals, Hall joined up with the Giants last year. The corner appeared in 12 games (two starts), totaling 20 tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception.

Hall leaves SF after receiving two game checks totaling roughly $118K, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. The cornerback participated in four practices, but did not suit up for a game. For those of you keeping score at home, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) adds that Hall did not set the record for the shortest stint in franchise history. That distinction may belong to quarterback John Skelton who signed with the club on Oct. 2, 2013 and was released on Oct. 9, 2013.

49ers To Sign CB Leon Hall

October 10th, 2017 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback Leon Hall has signed with the 49ers, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). There’s no word on the terms of the deal yet, but it’s likely a one-year pact for a prorated portion of the minimum salary.

Hall, 32, worked out for the Niners a few times this year. After watching the secondary struggle for more than a month, they’ve finally called on Hall for some veteran help.

After nine seasons with the Bengals, Hall joined up with the Giants last year. The corner appeared in 12 games (two starts), totaling 20 tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception. He’s no longer a higher-end starter, but Hall can be a regular contributor, particularly for a team like the Niners.

San Francisco saw three cornerbacks — Ahkello Witherspoon, Asa Jackson, Rashard Robinson — leave Sunday’s game with injury at various points, so secondary depth is certainly an issue. Hall, with his ability to play both safety and corner, will pad the club’s roster for the time being.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Saints Working Out CB Leon Hall

September 8th, 2017 at 9:09am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are working out cornerback Leon Hall, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The veteran also auditioned for the Niners on Thursday, a follow-up to his late May tryout.

On the whole, it has been an eerily quiet offseason for Hall. Outside of the Saints and 49ers, we have not heard of any other workouts for the 32-year-old.

Hall hooked on with the Giants last year after nine seasons with the Bengals. He appeared in 12 games (two starts) and compiled 2o tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception. He appears to have lost a step or two since his prime years and has started just six games in the last two seasons.

The Saints could use some additional depth at cornerback after losing Delvin Breaux for at least eight weeks. They’re slated to start P.J. Williams and first-round pick Marshon Lattimore when they face the Vikings on Monday night.