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CB Leon Hall To Visit With The New York Giants; Would Add Needed Depth

By Christopher Schwarz

Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall (29) runs back an interception for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated St. Louis 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall (29) runs back an interception for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated St. Louis 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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Less than a week after drafting cornerback Eli Apple in the first round of the NFL Draft, the New York Giants will host veteran free agent cornerback Leon Hall, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.

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Hall is a former first-round pick in 2007 out of Michigan and for the first four seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 18 interceptions and 71 passes deflected. But since 2011, Hall suffered from two injuries to his Achilles tendon and his play has declined. The Bengals aren’t fighting to keep him on their roster. /

Despite the injuries and his faltering play, Hall was still ranked the 24th best corner in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus – just below Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and just above Janoris Jenkins.

Hall was expected to be off the free agent market already, but teams are apparently scared off by his offseason back surgery. Hall underwent a procedure to repair a disc injury that required epidurals late last season. The nine-year veteran visited with the Cowboys and the Cardinals in mid-March, but left without a contract. He is also being recruited by his former secondary coach in Miami, but the main sticking point seems to be money. Hall wants his last big contract, but teams are hesitant to pay for a banged-up corner.

If the money’s right, the Giants could use help from wherever they can get it repairing their secondary. GM Jerry Reese emphasized the importance of depth after the selection of Apple. “When you have two corners in this league, you’re short one because the offensive teams throw the ball so much and you’ve got to have three quality corners to really go out there and function at a high level.’’

Hall is the perfect match for the Giants as a slot corner if his health can hold up. What do the Giants then do with Apple? Well, if Apple isn’t ready to start right out of the gate, Hall could be a stop-gap measure. At worst, when healthy he is an upgrade over Trevin Wade and Trumaine McBride and provides a veteran presence amongst an inexperienced group.

Paul Schwartz of the New York Post even suggests that with his tackling ability he may be able to transition to safety, which may be what Reese has in mind.

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