The 14-year veteran safety practiced for the first time since suffering a torn ACL last September on Tuesday, but he'll remain on the Reserve/Physically Unable To Perform list until the Redskins have to make a decision on his status.
Washington Redskins safety DeAngelo Hall has returned to the practice field.
The 14-year veteran will remain on the Reserve/Physically Unable To Perform list for now, as the Redskins have 21 days to make a determination on whether to activate Hall to the 53-man roster.
Hall has been recovering from a torn ACL suffered in a Week 3 victory over the New York Giants last September.
In his career, the Virginia Tech product has recorded 797 tackles with 130 passes defensed, 43 interceptions, 15 fumble recoveries, 11 fumbles forced and two sacks.
The three-time Pro Bowler remains the active leader in interceptions with two more than Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Newman.
If Hall is able to return this season, he'll also be the longest tenured player on a Washington active roster that has youth in the defensive backfield.
The 33-year-old has become an extension of the coaching staff for the Redskins players in their early years in the NFL. D.J. Swearinger is the next oldest safety on the roster at just 26 years old. Depending on his potential return, Hall's addition to the active roster could also help some of the cornerbacks as well where the Redskins have two rookies.
The Virginia Tech product, of course, played the position for a majority of his career at the position before making a full-time switch to safety last year.
"He's kind of been a mainstay here and he kind of keeps the boat from sinking from time to time," said Redskins head coach Jay Gruden during training camp. "There's some volatile people in that defensive back room from time to time and he's a calming guy, if you can believe that. D-Hall is. He's been great. He's been a great leader for us. Unfortunately for him, injuries have shortened his season. Hopefully we'll be able to get him back at a later date, but if we don't have him back when we want to, at least he'll be in the room and still have a major influence on the team and the defense."
If activated, Hall wants to prove that he has "a lot left in the tank" at an age when most of his peers have already left in the game.
"I just have to prove to myself and everybody else that I can stay healthy," Hall said earlier this year. "The injuries have been so fluke in nature and a lot of them have been non-contact. It's not like I'm out there just getting broke up because people are hitting me [and] I am just wearing down."
