Texans' Logan Hall Makes Case for Roster Spot After Impressive Training Camp
Logan Hall is off to a strong start in his first training camp with the Houston Texans, having already shown promise as a potential replacement for the interchangeable Denico Autry on the defensive line.
DeMeco Ryans, the Texans' coach, has praised Hall's efforts in getting back to playing football after surgery over the offseason. "Logan has done a good job with just working himself back to getting out to playing football," Ryans said. "He had surgery in the offseason, so he’s been doing a good job of working with our guys on the side and now getting integrated back to football."
Hall, a second-round draft pick from the University of Houston, has a strong track record to build on. In his final season of college, he put up 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. While his tenure in Tampa started off slowly, he has flashed improvements in his craft over the last two seasons, ranking in the top 40 among defensive linemen last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The biggest transition for Hall will be playing in a new-look front with the Texans. He'll play a tweener-type role, going back and forth between reps at defensive ends on early downs before shifting inside to more of an interior pass-rusher on third down pass-rushing sets. Matt Burke, the Texans' defensive coordinator, has said that Hall won't be limited in his role, and will be given the opportunity to handle whatever he can handle.
Hall could also prove to be a valuable depth piece as the season goes on, something needed for a line that lost arguably its best No. 3 pass-rusher in Derek Barnett this offseason. With the Texans, he'll have the chance to learn behind some of the best defenders in the game, including Houston's dynamic duo Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr.
For now, Hall is focused on getting up to speed with the Texans' scheme, which is a completely different setup from what he's used to in Tampa. "As we know, it’s a completely different scheme from what he’s used to, so it’ll take some time for him to get caught up with what we’re doing," Ryans said. "We’ll see how he continues to grow with that, but he’s done a great job in his first four days."
The Texans are a good landing spot for Hall, with a strong defense that ranked top-10 in nearly every statistical category last season. With Hall on board, they'll be looking for him to live up to his expectations and make a significant contribution to the team.
Source: Yahoo Sports