Tag: Kemon Hall

Chargers claim CB Kemon Hall off waivers

The Los Angeles Chargers added another cornerback to the roster.

The Chargers have claimed cornerback Kemon Hall off waivers.

Hall was undrafted out of North Texas in 2019. He signed with Los Angeles and played with the team through the preseason before going on the practice squad early in the regular season.

After being released by L.A., Hall bounced around the league, having spent time with the Vikings, Saints and Cowboys.

Hall joins a deep cornerback room led by Michael Davis, Chris Harris Jr., and rookie Asante Samuel, Jr.

He will be competing for a roster spot this summer with others, including Brandon Facyson, Donte Vaughn, John Brannon and Ryan Smith.

News: Kellen leaving Cowboys for Boise? Elliott’s calf ‘way better’

Despite the Eagles coming to town and a playoff berth still mathematically possible, some eyes have already turned to next year. Specifically, to the Cowboys coaching staff. One current coordinator is being linked to a job opening at his collegiate …

Despite the Eagles coming to town and a playoff berth still mathematically possible, some eyes have already turned to next year. Specifically, to the Cowboys coaching staff. One current coordinator is being linked to a job opening at his collegiate alma mater, and one current player is thought to be headed toward a role roaming the Dallas sideline, possibly sooner rather than later.

Also in News and Notes, the Cowboys are getting key players back in action for Sunday’s showdown, apparently including starting running back Ezekiel Elliott. But injuries always create a need for more depth, and the club has brought practice squad reinforcements aboard for the 2020 home stretch. There’s plenty of talk about Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts, including intel from a former teammate, and the revelation that the Cowboys kicked the tires on him back in April. There’s news on DeMarcus, Dalton, and Donovan; Jaylon Smith gets coaching from his football idol; and we bid farewell to a glory-days Cowboys specialist, an unsung hero who had a unique role in the legend of the greatest Cowboy of them all.

Saints sign free agent CB Kemon Hall after tryout, roster almost at capacity

The New Orleans Saints signed free agent cornerback Kemon Hall after his tryout, which followed injuries to Tino Ellis and Johnson Bademosi.

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The New Orleans Saints lost two of their cornerbacks over the last week with veteran special teamer Johnson Bademosi and undrafted rookie Tino Ellis each ending the year on injured reserve. That prompted the team to host a pair of free agent corners on a tryout basis, and now they’ve ended up signing one of them: second-year pro Kemon Hall.

Here’s what we wrote of Hall after his workout:

Hall (listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds) is a North Texas product who spent the 2019 season on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, but hasn’t yet found a team in 2020. After transferring from Itawamba Community College in Mississippi, he started 25 straight games in the Conference USA and recorded 28 passes defensed (6 of which were interceptions), with a forced fumble thrown in for good measure. That suggests some real playmaking ability, but he’ll have to have wowed the Saints in his free agent tryout to get a shot on the 80-man roster.

So, apparently he did show the Saints what they wanted to see. But that won’t ensure an easy path to the 53-man roster for Hall, who will be competing with experienced backups like Patrick Robinson and Justin Hardee as well as Keith Washington Jr., an undrafted rookie. Adding another option to the cornerbacks room should only help everyone; iron sharpens iron in the NFL.

Here’s the Saints cornerbacks depth chart as it now stands:

  • Marshon Lattimore
  • Janoris Jenkins
  • P.J. Williams
  • Patrick Robinson
  • Justin Hardee
  • Keith Washington Jr.
  • Kemon Hall

And a second move could be coming in the days ahead. Hall’s addition brings the Saints to 79 spots filled on their 80-man roster for training camp, so it’s anyone’s guess as to how they might fill that remaining vacancy. Stay tuned for updates.

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Saints try out two defensive backs after losing rookie to injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints tried out free agent cornerbacks Christopher Fredrick and Kemon Hall after rookie Tino Ellis went to injured reserve.

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The New Orleans Saints reported two free agent visits on Saturday’s daily NFL transactions wire: cornerbacks Christopher Fredrick and Kemon Hall. So who are they?

Fredrick (listed at 5-foot-11 and 198 pounds) is an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, where he started 43 consecutive games at cornerback. He was credited with 23 pass defenses (including eight interceptions) in 49 games played, as well as five fumbles (three forced, two recovered). What’s interesting is that Fredrick also ran with the special teams units throughout his Syracuse career, experience which should help his odds of catching on with an NFL roster.

Hall (listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds) is a North Texas product who spent the 2019 season on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, but hasn’t yet found a team in 2020. After transferring from Itawamba Community College in Mississippi, he started 25 straight games in the Conference USA and recorded 28 passes defensed (6 of which were interceptions), with a forced fumble thrown in for good measure. That suggests some real playmaking ability, but he’ll have to have wowed the Saints in his free agent tryout to get a shot on the 80-man roster.

But why were the Saints bringing in more help for the secondary, which has impressed in training camp practices? It’s possible they simply need more bodies to help round out the daily rotation after rookie cornerback Tino Ellis (Maryland) was designated to the injured reserve list earlier this week.

With Ellis out of action, that leaves the Saints with the following healthy cornerbacks:

  • Marshon Lattimore
  • Janoris Jenkins
  • P.J. Williams
  • Patrick Robinson
  • Justin Hardee
  • Johnson Bademosi
  • Keith Washington Jr. (rookie, West Virginia)

They haven’t signed anyone yet, but keep an eye out in case either of these free agents ends up joining the Saints for the rest of training camp. Earlier this week, they signed reserve tight end Ethan Wolf after a similar workout session.

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Chiefs had three players in for tryouts on Monday, including WR Marcus Kemp

A familiar face was in Kansas City for a tryout on Monday.

The NFL lifted its moratorium on tryouts at team facilities and the Kansas City Chiefs have reported their first three tryouts of 2020, including a familiar face. According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Chiefs brought WR Marcus Kemp, CB Kemon Hall, and CB Brandon Williams for tryouts on Monday.

The Chiefs are most familiar with Kemp, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Hawaii in 2017. He appeared in 16 games for the Chiefs in 2018, but only recorded one catch for seven yards. Kemp was tracking to make the 53-man roster and have a bigger role in 2019 when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL during the Week 2 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If Kemp is close to being fully recovered from his knee injury, he could certainly help the team as they deal with some soft tissue injuries to a few players at the WR position. He was also a starting gunner in Kansas City, so his return could churn some competition on special teams too.

The team is also dealing with some injuries to the CB group, including a season-ending injury for Alex Brown. They brought in Hall, who was a 2019 undrafted free agent signing out of North Texas by the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished the 2019 season on the practice squad with the Minnesota Vikings. He was cut two weeks ago by the Vikings to make room for players returning from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hall was known as a playmaker in college, recording five interceptions and 14 passes defended as a senior.

Williams, a 2016 third-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals, spent the 2019 season on injured reserve after having surgery for a back injury. The 6-foot 200-pound CB appeared in 45 games for the Cardinals, starting in three games over the course of three seasons. He recorded 38 total tackles and five passes defended. He was primarily utilized on special teams, but he does have some man coverage ability. It’s worth noting he spent two seasons with Tyrann Mathieu in Arizona, so two former teammates could be reunited in Kansas City.

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