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The prolonged free agency of Leon Hall should be coming to an end soon.
We already know Hall wants to make his decision as early as this week, and it's believed that the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals are two teams in the running for his services. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com took it a step further with his recent report that those are the two teams Hall is deciding between.
Raanan's report was centered around the New York Giants possibly looking to add a corner, and while Hall visited them earlier this offseason, it looks like the G-Men are out of contention. Per Raanan:
That's why they looked at Jerraud Powers and Leon Hall this spring. Powers signed with the Ravens, while Hall is likely to land with the Cardinals or re-sign with the Bengals. It's highly unlikely he'll sign with the Giants.
Hall is still on the market now heading into July because of a so-so 2015 season, which was followed by offseason back surgery. That back issue plagued Hall throughout last season, so there's some hope the surgery will allow him to play at a high level again in 2016.
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There has been speculation Hall could play safety for his next team, whether it's with the Bengals or another team. A recent report from Geoff Hobson suggested that Hall was keeping in contact with the Bengals about a possible return, which seems like a smart move for both sides. If Hall does return, expect him to work as both a backup corner and safety.
Then again, if the Cardinals are also a finalist as is believed, it's hard to pass up the situation they could offer Hall. Arizona offers a far better chance of playing significant snaps for a team that projects as a strong contender in the NFC. After All-Pro corner Patrick Peterson, only Justin Bethel, Tyvon Branch, Asa Jackson, Carrington Byndom and Shaun Prater are standing between Hall and a starting corner spot in Arizona.
The Cardinals' safety position isn't much deeper with the injury-prone Tyrann Mathieu; Tony Jefferson, D.J. Swearinger and rookie Marqui Christian holding down the fort. Perhaps Hall could earn a starting spot there if a position switch to safety is what his NFL future holds.
Either way, we should get some closure on Hall sooner rather than later.