Now that the regular season and playoffs are over it's time to go through the process known as the offseason. It's that time where teams throw money at players to fill some holes on their team either through the draft or free agency. Ironically for the Bengals, they might not have to throw money at a player to improve the secondary.
Cornerback Leon Hall is making significant progress in his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles injury that he suffered during Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. At his current pace he should be ready in August.
Less than three months after surgery Hall is able to run lightly and jump off boxes. Even at his current pace it's assumed that Hall will miss the workouts in May and June, but will be ready when training camp starts. He has been working with rehab guru Nick Cosgray, who has been giving him new tasks to accomplish each week. This week regular treadmill time has been added to the list for Hall's recovery. He's going to remain on the treadmill until July and it's hoped that he will be able to rejoin the team in time for training camp.
As with any injury, there is always doubt as to whether or not players are going to be able to return to their previous level of performance, if at all. Achilles injuries are certainly no exception and they have been notorious for ending an athlete's career.
"Early on I had some doubts. When you think of Achilles, it's a little scary. Especially if this were 10 to 15 years ago, I don't know if I'd be saying the same thing," Hall says.
Hall suffered the injury with less than two minutes remaining in the first half against Pittsburgh. The Bengals secondary took a hit when it was learned that he was out for the season. Due to the departure of Johnathan Joseph and Hall's injury, the lack of depth of the Bengals' secondary was greatly exposed as they had a difficult time containing opposing passing games for the final seven games of the regular season.
If Hall is able to return by training camp, his presence will be a welcomed addition for the Bengals. But only time will tell how much Hall will be able to contribute less than one year after surgery. Hopefully for the Bengals it won't be a repeat of Carson Palmer when he returned from his knee and elbow injuries, as he never looked the same after that game against the Steelers.
For more from Cincy Jungle make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.