ASHBURN — If DeAngelo Hall returns to the Washington Redskins, he wants to build a caveat into next season.
“If I come back, I already told them I’m not playing in the third game,” Hall said Monday.
He laughed at the idea of skipping what has been a menacing week on the NFL calendar for him the last three seasons. In 2014, Hall tore his Achilles tendon in Week 3. That injury ended his season. In 2015, Hall picked up a turf toe injury that kept him out five weeks. This season, Hall tore his right ACL in Week 3, another season-ending injury.
Hall is 33 years old, has played 166 games in 13 seasons and suffered a major injury in each of the last three. He is under contract for one more season, though he could also be cut by the Washington Redskins, saving a $5.08 million cap hit for a team that needs to decide where and how to spend big when it comes to quarterback, wide receiver and fixing an ineffective defense.
Since his injury, Hall has been watching film to take “mental reps” at safety, the spot he was switched to this season and the Redskins have struggled to fill. Hall played free safety and strong safety in the three weeks he lasted this season after 12 years as a cornerback. He was still figuring the position out when his knee gave way on him in New York against the Giants.
“For me, it’s just can he stay healthy,” Hall said. “I don’t worry about it. Obviously, my body is breaking down. But it’s weird, man. I felt great in training camp. I felt great going into the season. It wasn’t like, ’Oh, my knee is sore’ or I’m feeling some kind of tendinitis. It was nothing. It just happened.”
Hall said Monday morning that he is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. He feels good mentally and physically. He is not running yet, so he declined to go so far as to say he feels “great.” But, he does know he would like to return.
“If they want me, they want me,” Hall said. “If not, then we’ll see.”
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