The Washington Redskins on Monday officially saw their defensive captain's season come to a premature end.
The team placed cornerback DeAngelo Hall on the injured/reserve list after the 11-year veteran said he ruptured his left Achilles in the Redskins' 37-34 loss Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Hall told reporters on Monday that he's still looking for the "right place" to have his surgery performed, and doesn't immediately know how soon he'll be able to get back on the road to recovery.
"I'm not a spring chicken, so I got to make sure I get it done the right way," Hall said. "I've got to be as patient with it as possible, attack this rehab and get back out there on the field."
The play occurred early in the second quarter of Sunday's game at Lincoln Financial Field. Hall said he "just tried to break, plant and come out my break" with the receiver running him off when he "tried to redirect the ball, and just instantly fell to the ground and grabbed the back of my leg."
"I just thought I got stepped on," Hall said. "I didn't know instantly. I didn't think much of it. I thought I had a calf strain or something."
Hall said he has reached out to several other athletes who have had similar injuries, including Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who ruptured his Achilles in an April 2013 game against the Golden State Warriors.
"He was probably the most notable guy that I remember having an Achilles injury and coming back," Hall said of Bryant, a future Hall of Famer. "I talked to him for a long time yesterday about it and he said the same thing our trainer said which is good. I'm getting the same information, just to be patient with it."
Hall said he's learned "it's going to feel like you can push, it's going to feel like you can do some things, but the best thing is just to not do anything."
"This being injured thing is kind of new for me," Hall said. "I'm going to heed the advice of all these people, and I'm going to listen to them and I'm going to come back better."
In the meantime, the Redskins are left with plenty of unknowns at the cornerback position in Hall's absence.
Head coach Jay Gruden said rookie Bashaud Breeland will likely step up in that starting role, and is hoping veteran cornerback Tracy Porter – who is yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury – will be able to return soon. The team also signed second-year cornerback Chase Minnifield to the active roster from its practice squad on Monday.
Most of all, Gruden said the team will miss Hall off of the field.
"He was voted captain for a reason," the first-year head coach said. "Guys look up to him. He's a veteran guy and has that experience that you can't coach. He communicates well with the young guys and is a great leader by example for the young guys like Breeland and [David] Amerson, and unfortunately, he's going to be gone."
Amerson – a second-year starter out of NC State – said he hopes Hall continues to help guide him, even through his recovery.
"Hopefully, he continues to stick around, be in my ear all the time because I definitely need that," Amerson said. "Like I said, we're just trying to make the best of the situation."
Ihenacho also out for yearGruden on Monday also announced that safety Duke Ihenacho – just signed by the team on Aug. 31 – was also be placed on season-ending IR with a fracture in his left foot.
Ihenacho was injured in the first quarter of Sunday's game while covering a kickoff. He was claimed off waivers from the Denver Broncos – where he started in 17 games a season ago – and played in two games in Washington this season.
Moving Ihenacho to IR and signing Minnifield to the active roster gives the Redskins an open spot on both their active roster and their practice squad.
Gruden said the team is evaluating what it wants to do with those spots, especially considering the fact it listed 17 players on its injury report on Monday.
"We haven't decided who that's going to be yet, what position," Gruden said. "We'll have a better idea tomorrow after practice, see what the trainers say, and whatever position we need we'll probably call somebody up then."
The Redskins also announced on Monday that they had terminated the contract of linebacker Darryl Sharpton, who had been placed on IR earlier in the season.
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