Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden says the team will limit Junior Galette during OTAs and DeAngelo Hall could start the year on the PUP list.
Next week, the Washington Redskins will begin the first of three weeks of OTA sessions, practices that allow the offense and defense to go toe-to-toe in unit work for the first time this spring.
Washington, of course, has quite a few new faces that will be making their OTA debuts as Redskins, particularly on the defensive side of the football. Alabama products Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson are entering their rookie seasons while the team added Pro Bowl linebacker Zack Brown and safety D.J. Swearinger in free agency.
As the position battles play out, though, veteran linebacker Junior Galette and safety DeAngelo Hall will be among the players that will continue to rehab from season-ending injuries suffered last year.
Galette, who suffered a torn Achilles last July, has been participating in on-field drills during Phase 2 workouts, but head coach Jay Gruden said that the team will "probably keep him out of the team stuff for OTAs" but could be a full participant by training camp.
"The trainers have the final word and obviously Junior has a major say in how he's feeling," Gruden said this week. "So we'll go from there."
Galette originally signed with the Redskins in 2015 but has yet to participate in a regular season game with Washington, suffering two different Achilles tears. When he was last healthy with the New Orleans Saints, Galette totaled 22 sacks during the 2013-14 seasons.
"[At] one time, he was one of the most dynamic pass rushers in the game, with his tenacity and his ability to get off on the ball," Gruden said in March. "He has a great, great get off. Hopefully, that hasn't been affected. That's one thing he's got to work toward getting back, because you can't coach the speed [and how] he gets out of his stance and gets around that tackle before he gets out of his stance. He's the best at that."
Hall, meanwhile, could be a candidate to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list as he eases his way back into form following a torn ACL suffered in the Redskins' Week 3 victory over the New York Giants last season.
It was Hall's first full-time season as a safety following a lengthy and fruitful career at cornerback. In three games, the Virginia Tech product recorded 16 tackles with a pass defensed.
"He got some good work last year, but obviously the injuries put him back," Gruden said. "I don't really have a target for D-Hall—we'll wait and see on that. It could be a start the season on PUP, we'll just have to see how it goes."
Hall is now the longest tenured Redskins player on the active roster with Kedric Golston remaining unsigned. Entering his 14th NFL season, Hall believes he still has a lot left in the tank and wants to go out on his own terms: healthy and productive once again.
"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.
"I am attacking this rehab as hard as I can and the ACL is a lot easier to deal with than an Achilles injury. It's pretty much routine and a lot of guys have come back even stronger before I'm very optimistic and I feel good."
