The New England Patriots have always had strong attendance during voluntary offseason workouts, and 2021 is no exception with roughly two-thirds of players present at Gillette Stadium. Among the players not spotted so far is third-year linebacker Terez Hall.
Now, we know the reason for his absence. According to a report by ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, Hall is recovering from offseason ankle surgery.
The 24-year-old is coming off the best season of his short NFL career. A former undrafted free agent, who spent his entire 2019 rookie season on New England’s practice squad, Hall appeared in eight games last year after again having started the season on the Patriots’ developmental roster.
Hall was promoted to the active team in November and subsequently served as the number two option at the off-the-ball linebacker position alongside veteran Ja’Whaun Bentley. In this capacity, the Missouri product played 258 out of 589 defensive snaps down the stretch and also saw some irregular action in the kicking game. He registered 50 tackles as well as a pair of pass breakups.
Hall had his ups and downs as an early-down defender, but proved himself a physical presence at the heart of the Patriots defense.
He did have his moments, but also was unable to finish the season healthy. The youngster suffered an ankle injury in the first half of New England’s Week 16 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and was listed as questionable heading into the regular season finale. Hall was subsequently declared inactive, and afterwards had to undergo surgery on his ailing ankle.
As a result of his procedure, he has not participated in any of the team’s six organized team activities up to this point. With fellow linebacker Dont’a Hightower also not participating, the Patriots’ other off-the-ball linebackers — primarily Bentley and free agency addition Raekwon McMillan — have seen increased practice reps over the last two weeks.