Injury Update: Leon Hall Ahead Of Schedule

Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis divulged quite a bit of information when speaking to the media at the Scouting Combine on Friday. With it came some welcomed news about a very important player to the Bengals defense--cornerback Leon Hall.

If you remember, Hall suffered a devastating Achilles injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. Aside from the injury itself, a problem with this injury was that it was suffered in the later part of the year, making some wonder if Hall will even return for the beginning of the 2012 season. It's been said that these type of injuries can take up to a year or more to fully recover. This recovery period is making many believe that the Bengals will be looking for cornerbacks in the draft and/or free agency.

Despite one vague update about Hall's rehabilitation, we hadn't heard anything substantial to make us smile about the prospect of Hall's return. Today, Lewis gave fans a welcomed ray of sunshine about Hall's rehab.

It's still too early to proclaim that Hall will be ready for Training Camp or the beginning of the season, but "being ahead of where he thought" is really good news. At this point in time, the Bengals will need as many healthy, able-bodied cornerbacks on the roster as possible. A healthy Hall gives them back their best corner, and if the Bengals bring in a good veteran or rookie, the team would suddenly have solidified this thin position group.

Hall does have age and work ethic on his side, so we could continue to hear good news about his rehab. Hopefully he will be able to benefit from the team's revamped medical staff that was brought on in 2011 and they'll do a better job with injuries than the previous regime did. It's also fortunate that Hall doesn't have to deal with a lockout to hinder his rehab, a la Peyton Manning.

We'll continue to update you on Hall's status as we hear it.