For the vast majority of his 12-year career, DeAngelo Hall lined up at cornerback. For many of those years, Hall was considered one of the best in the NFL. The former Virginia Tech Hokie made three Pro Bowls, his last in 2010, and has logged 43 interceptions in his career.
But now, like a lot of other players on the roster, Hall is working through training camp trying to learn his position. That position, of course, safety -- not the cornerback slot he played for a dozen years.
"I think he’s going through it," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said on Friday. "I think it’s a totally different perspective at safety than it is at corner for him."
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Last season was the first the Redskins saw Hall line up at safety, and the results were promising. The position change also allows the veteran to elongate his career, using his ballhawk skills from the back of the field. Not to mention, Hall showed a willingness to look from big hits from the safety spot in 2015.
More from Jay Gruden:
He’s just got to learn to see the quarterback and get in the right position, get his eyes right and then just trust what he sees and break. I think he’ll do that. It’s just going to take some time. Whether he’s a half-field player, middle player, covering the tight end, covering somebody out in the slot, whatever it is, he’s just got to get comfortable with his landmarks, his positioning and his eyes. And the more reps that he gets – he got 25 good reps in team period yesterday, not to mention the one-on-ones and the walkthrough – the more comfortable he’s going to be. We expect D-Hall to pick it up quickly because he’s that type of guy. He’s very competitive, very smart and he’ll do fine.
He’s just got to learn to see the quarterback and get in the right position, get his eyes right and then just trust what he sees and break. It’s just going to take some time.