The future of the Cleveland Browns defensive line after the trade of DE Myles Garrett has been all about DE Jared Verse and DT Mason Graham. Verse, as the key part of the Garrett deal, needs to have a big Week 3 after a disappointing start to his Browns career. Graham has two sacks this year and has continued his development from his rookie year.
DT Mike Hall Jr. could take the group to the next level. Hall, who has played some defensive end as well, was Cleveland’s second-round pick in 2024. Hall has dealt
with injuries that limited him to 17 games in his first two seasons. His 2.5 sacks are disappointing given his draft position, but production for interior defenders does not always lead to sacks.
In 2026, Hall has shown flashes of disruption while playing in close to 50% of the team’s defensive snaps:
The above play is a great example of an impact play that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet.
Former Browns OL LeCharles Bentley also noted :
Mike Hall is another player whose impact will not be fully explained by the box score.
Hall was a difference-maker Sunday.
His superpower is his get-off.
Bentley showed this example of Hall’s quickness off the snap:
With Cleveland’s edge rushers struggling to get pressure, Hall and Graham can get penetration up the middle can create quicker disruptions for opposing offenses. While good pass rushers are rarer from the inside, penetration up the middle can have an even bigger impact on both the run and pass games.
Hall’s development, even if it doesn’t show up in the box score, can help make up for the loss of Garrett and give Verse and company a better chance to make an impact from the outside.
What are your expectations for Hall? Do you believe that pressure is important or only value stats?
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!
Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.
