Mike Hall Jr., Browns
Getty
Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns defense can use all the help they can get ahead of the team’s ridiculously difficult opening six-game stretch to the 2025 campaign, and the return of a young talent to the practice field just let a little more light into the huddle.
Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr., a second-round pick (No. 54 overall) of the Browns out of Ohio State in the 2024 NFL draft, got back to regular work on Thursday, September 4.
Browns DT Mike Hall Jr. returned to practice today for the first time since suffering a severe knee injury in Week 18 last season.
Didn’t see Myles Garrett or DeAndre Carter during the viewing period. Easton Mascarenas-Arnold was working on the side.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) September 4, 2025
“Browns DT Mike Hall Jr. returned to practice today for the first time since suffering a severe knee injury in Week 18 last season,” ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reported via social media. “Didn’t see Myles Garrett or DeAndre Carter during the viewing period. Easton Mascarenas-Arnold was working on the side.”
Mike Hall Dealt With Injury, Suspension During 1st NFL Season With Browns
Mike Hall Jr., Browns
GettyDefensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. of the Cleveland Browns leaves the field with an injury in Week 18.
Hall’s tenure with the team has been tumultuous, to say the least, as he heads into his second NFL season at the age of 22.
The league suspended Hall for five games for violation of its personal conduct policy stemming from a domestic violence charge in 2024 following his selection by Cleveland in the draft that April.
“Hall, who pleaded no contest in September to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct stemming from a domestic altercation in the summer, will be eligible for reinstatement after the Browns’ Week 5 game against the Washington Commanders,” Oyefusi reported on October 1, 2024. “Hall, who was originally charged with one count of domestic violence, was given a 30-day suspended jail sentence, a $250 fine and two years of monitored time. A protection order between Hall and his fiancée was dropped last week at her request.”
Myles Garrett Misses Practice With Injury, Could Create Solid Browns D-Line Alongside Mike Hall, Mason Graham if Healthy
Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
GettyDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
Hall ultimately played in eight games for Cleveland last season, starting three of those contests. While he didn’t see enough snaps to qualify for a ranking at the defensive interior position from Pro Football Focus in 2024, the advanced metrics website afforded Hall an overall player grade of 67.7 based on the time he did see.
For context, that grade is the highest of all players currently on the Browns’ roster at the defensive tackle position, with the exception of rookie and No. 5 overall pick Mason Graham out of Michigan, who didn’t earn a PFF pro grade last season because he was playing college football.
Hall finished last year with 16 quarterback pressure, 11 hurries, four QB hits and one sack. He also tallied nine solo tackles and eight stops across 232 total defensive snaps, per PFF.
It is unclear if Hall will be ready to go against the Cincinnati Bengals three days from now. But even if he isn’t, Cleveland’s defensive front could be in considerably better shape with Hall’s return alongside Graham — assuming both play up to the level of team and outside expectations.
Perennial Pro Bowler and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett plays one of the defensive end spots, though the edge rush could still be a question mark with fourth-year pro Alex Wright starting as the opposite bookend on the line.
Wright has played 37 games in the league (six starts) and tallied six total sacks. He missed 13 contests last season due to a torn triceps. Garrett also missed practice on Thursday with a hip injury, though the seriousness of it remained unreported as of the mid-afternoon.