Texans Activate S Andre Hal
With his cancer in remission, Andre Hal was cleared to practice this week. There’s a decent chance the Texans safety will make his season debut on Sunday.
The Texans announced they’ve activated Hal from the reserve/non-football illness list in advance of their Week 7 game against the Jaguars. The team had three weeks to activate Hal after he returned to practice on Wednesday. Being activated three days into a three-week window represents another conquest for a safety that’s overcome plenty this year.
Hal was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in June. By late September, the cancer was in remission. This is a remarkable recovery for the 26-year-old safety, who had already beaten long odds in his career by emerging as a regular starter from a seventh-round draft position.
Hal started 38 games for the Texans over the past three seasons, including all 16 last season. He may not return to a starting role immediately, but with Tyrann Mathieu and converted cornerback Kareem Jackson in place at safety, Houston could soon be deep on its defensive back line.
The Texans made room on their roster by waiving edge defender Daeshon Hall, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/18
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Jeremiah Sirles
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DL Caraun Reid
- Placed on IR: DL Datone Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Daeshon Hall (from 49ers’ practice squad)
- Promoted from practice squad: OT David Sharpe
- Placed on IR: LB Dylan Cole, WR Bruce Ellington
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Justin Jackson
- Released from IR: CB Craig Mager
- Waived: RB Detrez Newsome
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Martrell Spaight
- Placed on IR: DE William Hayes
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Jonathan Woodard
- Waived: WR Tanner McEvoy
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Kenjon Barner
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Arrion Springs
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Garrett Dickerson
- Waived/Injured: WR/KR Kaelin Clay
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Branden Jackson
- Waived: TE Darrell Daniels
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: OL Kevin Pamphile
NFL Workout Updates: 9/10/18
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- QB Josh Woodrum; WRs Montay Crockett, Isaac Whitney; P Jeff Locke (link)
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
- Ss L.J. McCray, Kai Nacua
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
- DE Daeshon Hall (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- OGs Sean Harlow, Will Holden; LBs Nigel Harris, Jacob Pugh, Emmanuel Smith; CBs Tarvarus McFadden, Kalan Reed, Herb Waters; WR Korey Robertson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CBs Breon Borders, Linden Stephens (link); TEs Blake Bell, John Phillips, Clive Walford
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
- Gs Tony Adams, Spencer Drango; C Jake Eldrenkamp; CBs Kalan Reed, Josh Robinson (link); WRs Bennie Fowler, Greg Ward; LB Ufomba Kamalu
New Orleans Saints
- LBs Nigel Harris, Corey Nelson (link)
New York Jets
- FB Jay Prosch; G Sean Harlow; T Jylan Ware; LBs Zaire Anderson, Ufomba Kamalu; CB Herb Waters (link)
Oakland Raiders
- CBs Breon Borders, Makinton Dorleant; Ss Elijah Campbell, Nick Orr; LBs Cayson Collins, Naashon Hughes
San Francisco 49ers
- DE Daeshon Hall (link)
Tennessee Titans
- TE Nick O’Leary
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/6/18
Today’s practice squad transactions:
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Boston Scott
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Robert Martin
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: CB De’Vante Bausby
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Daeshon Hall
- Waived: DL Niles Scott
Giants Work Out Tony Lippett, Kevin Minter
The Giants worked out cornerback Tony Lippett, linebacker Kevin Minter, and a host of other free agents on Tuesday, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Lippett, who transformed from a collegiate wideout to an NFL corner, was a 13-game starter for the Dolphins in 2016, but didn’t make it through final cutdowns earlier this week after missing the entire 2017 campaign with a torn Achilles. Provided he’s now healthy, Lippett could give New York’s secondary a boost, as the only experienced players on the Giants cornerback depth chart are starters Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple. The Giants know they have a problem in the defensive backfield, as they claimed three cornerbacks off waivers on Sunday.
Minter, 27, was cut by the Jets earlier this week after inking a one-year deal during the offseason. After starting 32 games for the Cardinals from 2015-16, Minter has struggled to find playing time (or even a job) in recent seasons. While he could conceivably offer depth behind starters Alec Ogletree and B.J. Goodson (and has familiarity with Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher, formerly of Arizona), Minter hasn’t played special teams since his rookie season. That’s a problem for a backup linebacker, and could be why New York signed ST standout Nate Stupar — also a part of today’s cattle call — instead.
Here’s the full list of players who auditioned for the Giants on Tuesday:
- QB Matt McGloin
- WR Jehu Chesson
- WR Quadree Henderson
- WR Brandon Tate
- WR Shane Wynn
- OT David Sharpe
- OT Dakoda Shepley
- DE Daeshon Hall
- LB Josh Keyes
- CB Michael Hunter
- CB Ronald Zamort
Panthers Reduce Roster To 53
The Panthers have finalized their team, trimming their roster to 53 players. The team’s moves are below:
Waived:
- QB Kyle Allen
- DE Kiante Anderson
- RB Reggie Bonnafon
- CB Lorenzo Doss
- WR Austin Duke
- WR Mose Frazier
- C Kyle Friend
- QB Garrett Gilbert
- DE Daeshon Hall
- OG Taylor Hearn
- OG Dorian Johnson
- CB Cole Luke
- DT Kendrick Norton
- TE Jason Vander Laan
Waived/reserve:
- RB Elijah Hood
- CB Kevon Seymour
- OT Jeremiah Sirles
Waived/injured:
- WR Jamaal Jones
Terminated vested veteran:
The Panthers also acquired offensive lineman Corey Robinson from the Lions earlier today. The 26-year-old had spent his entire three-year career in Detroit, starting eighth of his 23 games. Carolina sent Detroit a conditional 2020 seventh-rounder in the deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/17
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted to active roster: S Dezmen Southward
- Placed on injured reserve: DE Daeshon Hall
Panthers Sign Entire Draft Class
The Panthers have signed their entire 2017 draft class. One day after inking first-round selection Christian McCaffrey, all seven Carolina draft picks are now officially in the fold:
- 1-8: Christian McCaffrey, RB (Stanford)
- 2-40: Curtis Samuel, RB (Ohio State)
- 2-64: Taylor Moton, OL (Western Michigan)
- 3-77: Daeshon Hall, DL (Texas A&M)
- 5-152: Corn Elder, CB (Miami)
- 6-192: Alex Armah, FB (West Georgia)
- 7-233: Harrison Butker, K (Georgia Tech)
Elder and Butker were the last to agree, but they put pen to paper after Friday morning’s rookie camp session. As shown in PFR’s team-by-team draft breakdown, the Panthers are the first team to sign their entire draft class.
According to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Samuel’s game is reminiscent of Oregon product Josh Huff. Opinions are split on how this well-rounded receiver’s game will translate as a pro.
“It’s kind of like with Jalin Marshall last year,” a regional scout told Zierlein. “How do you use him? He’s not a running back and his routes and hands really aren’t that good. Marshall went undrafted. Samuel is a better athlete but they are about the same size and give you the same concerns with how to use them.”
According to Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter link), there is offset language in McCaffrey’s deal.
Panthers Acquire 77th Pick From Cardinals
The Panthers have acquired the 77th pick from the Cardinals in exchange for Nos. 98 and 115, tweets Arizona’s vice president of media relations, Mark Dalton.
Carolina has selected Texas A&M defensive lineman Daeshon Hall, who saw significant playing time in each of his four seasons with the Aggies. The 260-pounder was particularly effective over the previous two years, combining for 27.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 25 games.
Hall, who played second fiddle to No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett in college, will inject some youth into a Panthers defensive line that features accomplished pass rushers in Julius Peppers, Mario Addison and Charles Johnson. All three are over the age of 30.
NFL Draft Rumors: Russell, Hall, Henry
Notre Dame cornerback KeiVarae Russell declared for the 2016 NFL draft, as Pete Thamel of SI writes. Russell missed the 2014 season due to an honor code violation, which put his final season of eligibility in NCAA limbo. For his part, Russell says that he planned to declare regardless of the NCAA’s decision. Russell’s missed year stemmed from academic dishonesty and he knows that he’ll face questions about that from interested teams in the coming months.
Here’s the latest draft news:
- Texas A&M defensive end Daeshon Hall is leaning towards entering the draft, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter). Hall, who stands at 6’6″ and weighs 260 pounds, registered 54 tackles, a career-high 7.0 sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 2015.
- Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry announced that he will apply for early eligibility into the NFL draft. “After a great deal of prayer and reflection, I have made the very difficult decision to pursue my childhood dream and enter the 2016 NFL Draft,” Henry wrote. “I have grown so much as a person and player these past three years at the University of Arkansas. I have enjoyed my experience more than I could have ever imagined.”
- Arkansas offensive lineman Denver Kirkland, who projects more as a guard in the pros, also intends to enter the 2016 draft, Chase Goodbread of NFL.com tweets.
- Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell officially announced that he’ll enter the NFL Draft, as Joe Schad of ESPN.com tweets.