Vikings Add to DT Depth by Acquiring PJ Hall in Trade With Raiders

The Minnesota Vikings filled the void left by free-agent acquisition Michael Pierce opting out of the 2020 season. They acquired PJ Hall from the Las Vegas Raiders for a future conditional 7th round pick.

The #Raiders, who informed #Raiders 2nd round DT PJ Hall he was being released today, traded him to the #Vikings instead for a 7th round conditional pick in 2021.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 3, 2020

Hall, a former second round pick, played parts of 2 seasons for the Raiders. He appeared in 30 games and made 18 starts. The concerning number is that Hall registered just 1.5 sacks in that amount of playing time.

I was asking myself the same question a bit ago. This will be interesting.

He falls right in-between the 3T and nose profile. Coming out of college, it seemed like he had a little versatility, but probably fit best in the one-gap spectrum. #Vikings https://t.co/SXcd7jY4gN

— Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) August 3, 2020

Hall played collegiately at Sam Houston State and had 42 career sacks. My guess is he won’t start, but will serve as a backup for Jaleel Johnson and others who will step in for Michael Pierce. Acquiring Hall for a 7th round pick to round out the defensive line rotation might not seem like a flashy move for the Vikings. But depth is crucial this year more than ever. Give him a little time with Coach Patterson and he could end up turning into a reliable piece of the defense.

PJ Hall vs Shamar Stephen (2019)

Hall: (551 snaps)

25 total tackles
0 forced fumbles
16 stops
2 sacks
19 hurries
2 hits
23 pressures

Stephen: (580 snaps)

24 total tackles
1 forced fumble
11 stops
1 sack
4 hurries
1 hit
6 pressures

Hall might be an upgrade over Stephen.

— Tanishka (7-2) (@tanishkamascara) August 3, 2020

P.J. Hall, @PFF:

2018 = 64.9
2019 = 70.2

— Dustin Baker (@DustBaker) August 3, 2020

Seth Toupal | Minnesota Sports Fan