Tag: P.J. Hall

DT P.J. Hall’s different skillset helps the Texans’ defensive line

Houston Texans DT P.J. Hall provides the defensive line with a unique skillset that brings explosion and quickness to the defensive line.

P.J. Hall isn’t the archetype for playing defensive tackle in the 3-4.

At 6-0, 305 pounds, Hall is about three inches too short and 50 pounds too light on paper. On the gridiron, the former Sam Houston State product provides the Houston Texans with explosion to control the line of scrimmage.

“I think P.J. has good explosion,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “He’s got some quickness. He’s got a quick step and has some explosion. His center of gravity, I think, helps him at the line of scrimmage. He’s been showing up, making plays at the line, getting into the backfield at times, impacting plays.”

The former 2018 Oakland Raiders second-round pick has collected 21 tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and a quarterback hit in his five games with the Texans, four of which he has started.

“I think he’s been a good addition even though he’s a different type of guy that we’ve had in the past, but because of his skillset, I think he helps our defense,” Crennel said.

The Texans are looking for combinations that work along the defensive line after losing defensive tackle D.J. Reader in free agency. As the defensive trenches are a work in progress for Houston, Hall is proving that he has talent to contribute, even if he may not be the prototypical defensive tackle for the 3-4.

 

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WATCH: Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel busts a move after 30-14 win over Jaguars

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel danced for joy in the locker room after the 30-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5.

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel busted a move after the club’s 30-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.

Video recorded by defensive tackle P.J. Hall and uploaded to his Instagram account showed the 73-year-old coach dancing after the team’s first win of the season, that improves their record to 1-4 overall and 1-0 in the division.

The win was Crennel’s first as a coach since Dec. 2, 2012, when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Carolina Panthers 27-21. Crennel was let go at the end of the season.

Crennel is now 3-1 as an interim coach. His first interim gig was with the Chiefs in 2011 when he replaced Todd Haley as coach for the final three games.

P.J. Hall has been starting to beef up the Texans’ run defense

The Houston Texans started P.J. Hall at defensive tackle the past two games in an effort to beef up their run defense.

The Houston Texans knew they were taking on run heavy teams in the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, which is why former Sam Houston State product P.J. Hall started to see more playing time.

The Texans started Hall the past two weeks, and he played a total of 88 snaps against the Ravens and Steelers.

“P.J. is a guy that obviously has a tremendous amount of talent,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said. “He was drafted in the second round for a reason. Right now, obviously we’re struggling a little bit in stopping the run. He’s a 310-pounder that ran a 4.73 that has built-in leverage. I tease him all the time that he’s all of 5-10 and a half. So you’re not going to get any lower than him. He’s done a very good job in the run game. He’s out there. He’s knocking people back. He’s making plays. He’s shedding blockers. So that’s why he’s been in the starting lineup in that role.”

Hall produced six combined tackles for the Texans, though the Texans clearly need more help with their run defense, which is why Weaver also added that the spot Hall is playing isn’t necessarily solidified.

“That’s all determined by the team that we’re playing,” said Weaver. “If we’re playing run-heavy teams, P.J. may be a starter. If we’re playing a team that has a more lateral running scheme, maybe Charles Omenihu or Carlos Watkins or Ross Blacklock is a starter. It’s going to be very much determined by the scheme that we’re playing because I have so much faith in all those guys in the defensive line room.”

The Texans take on another run-heavy scheme in Week 4 with the Minnesota Vikings visiting NRG Stadium. Dalvin Cook rushed for 181 yards in the 31-30 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, and the Pro Bowler will seek to feast on the Texans’ porous run defense. Houston will need Hall and the rest of the interior defensive line to bring their best efforts against Cook.

Texans DT P.J. Hall continues to improve for the defensive line

Defensive tackle P.J. Hall continues to take steps in his improvement for the Houston Texans’ defensive line.

Not much has gone well for the Houston Texans, but there are some bright spots.

Along the defensive line, P.J. Hall, who the Texans claimed off waivers after a failed trade between the Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings, has been one of those optimistic points of light.

In the 33-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Hall saw 43 defensive snaps and was even credited with a start, an uptick from 17 snaps in Week 1 at the Kansas City Chiefs. The defensive tackle from Sam Houston State collected three total tackles.

“He plays with really good leverage that’s built-in leverage,’ coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a powerful, explosive guy relative to the position that he plays. He’s been playing hard. He’s getting in better shape. He did disrupt last week and had a good game.”

Though the Texans like what they have seen from the former Raiders 2018 second-rounder, they need to see more.

“Just consistency is the key just like with anybody else,” said O’Brien. “Hopefully he can keep getting better and getting more comfortable in our system.”

Hall will have another chance as the Texans take on the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central at Heinz Field.

Texans looking for consistency from DT P.J. Hall

The Houston Texans like what they have seen from defensive tackle P.J. Hall, and hope to see more of it on a consistent basis.

Defensive tackle P.J. Hall showed up for the Houston Texans in their 34-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.

The former Oakland Raiders 2018 second-round pick from Sam Houston State produced four tackles, including a tackle for loss, in his 17 snaps for the Texans. The disruption in the middle of the defensive line was a welcomed addition as the club seeks answers along the interior defensive line.

Coach Bill O’Brien acknowledged to reporters Monday that Hall “did some good things” against the Chiefs, but stressed he would like to see consistency from the 6-1, 308-pound defensive tackle.

“Let’s see how it goes this week,” O’Brien said. “Different scheme, but, yeah, P.J. definitely showed up on Thursday night and made a few plays. That were good to see. So, let’s see if we can build on that this week in practice and just keep going.”

The Texans have been looking for solutions to replace defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason. Houston has a reliable veteran in Brandon Dunn, and even drafted former TCU Horned Frog Ros Blacklock in the second round. However, the level of disruption has tapered off as the Texans are transitioning from Reader to his successor.

Former Raiders DT P.J. Hall signing with Texans

The Houston Texans have beefed up their defensive tackle depth with former Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall.

The Houston Texans are beefing up their defensive tackle depth by singing former Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall.

Hall’s representation, Enter Sports Management, announced the potential deal on Twitter Thursday.

The Minnesota Vikings attempted to trade for the 6-1, 308-pound defensive lineman from Sam Houston State, but Hall failed his physical. As a result, he reverted back to the rights of the Raiders. Las Vegas waived the Seguin, Texas, native.

Houston claimed Hall off waivers. The Texans are seeking depth along their interior defensive line with tackle Eddie Vanderdoes opting out of the 2020 season.

The 2018 second-round pick played 30 games for the Raiders, starting in 18 of them. Hall collected 48 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and seven quarterback hits.

The Texans are expected to make a corresponding move as the signing of Hall would put them at 81 players, just one over the roster limit.

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Vikings announce trade with Raiders for P.J. Hall called off

Breaking: Vikings announce that DT P.J. Hall failed his physical and reverts to the Raiders.

The Vikings received some bad news for their defensive line group when Michael Pierce opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

But the team was resilient. Minnesota went out and made a deal for a defensive tackle after that. The Vikings traded for former Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter reported that the Vikings traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Raiders for Hall.

There were plenty of options for Hall on the Minnesota defensive line, but now it appears that none of them will happen.

The Vikings announced on Tuesday that Hall will revert back to Las Vegas. Hall failed his physical, according to the team, leading to the trade being called off.

Though Hall is not as big of a loss to the Vikings defensive line as Pierce, Hall gave the Vikings more versatility at a position that is suddenly lacking in proven starters.

Report: Vikings trade for former Raiders DT P.J. Hall

Minnesota has traded for former Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Minnesota received some bad news earlier this offseason when defensive tackle Michael Pierce opted out of the 2020 season.

Pierce, coming over after a successful stint with the Ravens, has been a big-bodied run-stopping defensive tackle who was also arguably Minnesota’s biggest free agency signing of the year.

Minnesota had some interesting options at defensive tackle for 2020, but none that were as solidified as Pierce has been for Baltimore. And now, the Vikings have reportedly added a possible replacement in free agency.

Minnesota has traded for former Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported that the Vikings are trading a conditional seventh-round pick to the Raiders for Hall. The Raiders will receive the pick if Hall is on the 53-man roster for 6 games, according to a source of Schefter’s.

Hall reportedly comes to the Vikings after two seasons with the Raiders. He played in at least 14 games in each of those years. This past season, Hall had 26 total tackles, five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Jon Gruden: Raiders third-year defensive lineman must ‘prove they belong’ in the NFL

It wasn’t long ago that Raiders defensive lineman P.J. Hall, Maurice Hurst and Arden Key were the talk of training camp.

It doesn’t seem long ago that Raiders defensive lineman Maurice Hurst, P.J. Hall and Arden Key were bright-eyed rookies who provided hope and confidence to the coaching staff.

Times have changed, however. It appears the trio could be fighting for roster spots in 2020, their third year with the club.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden had a lot to say about Hall, Hurst and Key when asked how new defensive line coach, Rod Marinelli, could help the team’s young front line. All three players were drafted by Gruden in his first year back with the club in 2018, with former general manager, Reggie McKenzie, by his side.

“They have to prove they belong in this league,” Gruden said over a Zoom call with the media Thursday. “They have to prove that they can be front-line guys. P.J. Hall, [Maurice] Hurst, [Arden] Key, those are three guys that we used high draft picks on. Arden’s got to stay healthy, P.J. Hall, I’m anxious to see where his weight is, he came in overweight last year — not at that position, can’t happen. Mo Hurst has had some good moments, but we need these guys to burst on the scene, no question.”

While it’s not accurate to say Hurst was a high draft pick, he carried a first-round grade into the draft before a heart condition caused him to slide to the fifth round. On the other hand, Hall was a second-round choice and Gruden picked Key in the third round.

Hall has underwhelmed at defensive tackle, with the worst fear surrounding him — that his small-school pedigree wouldn’t transfer to the NFL — coming true thus far. It’s especially concerning that he was overweight last season.

Key, as the only defensive end in this group, looked to be the best pass rusher, having flashed immense potential in college at Louisiana State.

But he’s had his own weight issues. He’s looked too slender to make an impact at DE, though he’s displayed potential as a disruptor at times. Worst of all, he played just seven games last year after suiting up in 16 contests in 2018.

Hurst has easily shown the most promise amongst these three linemen. He followed a solid rookie campaign with a slow start in 2019, but he picked it up, earning the sixth-best grade in the NFL at defensive tackle from Week 9-17 last season.

The Raiders’ defense must continue to improve if Las Vegas is to keep rising as a team. Hurst, Hall and Key will have their opportunity to show Gruden they can be a part of that resurgence. But they’d do well to get off to a fast start and show their coach that they indeed belong in the NFL.

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