The Ravens’ inside linebacking corps took a hit this offseason with the departures of Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe.
Their attempt to replace them in the lineup won’t be limited to signing free agents or drafting rookies later this month. They’ll also be moving defensive lineman Bryan Hall to inside linebacker this offseason, a switch that isn’t exactly out of left field. Hall played one preseason game at linebacker before last season and played the position at Arkansas State, so he was a natural candidate to move back to his old spot with the Ravens thinner at the spot than they used to be.
“Coach Harbaugh told me, ‘We want to look at you at inside linebacker,’ and I said, ‘I’m down for it.’ I’m a football player, first and foremost, and I love football. I’m just looking for an opportunity to progress as a football player,” Hall said, via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “I think I’ve got the instincts. I’m a football player. Put me in any position, and I can play. I’m a student of the game. I work hard. Whatever’s in front of me, I can do. I’m excited.”
Hall, who played five games for the Ravens last year, has dropped about 15 pounds from his 2012 playing weight and has some more to cut before he’ll be back into a linebacker’s body. Albert McClellan and Jameel McClain are the most experienced inside linebackers on the roster, but things are pretty open behind them for Hall and anyone else to carve out a spot for themselves on the roster in the future.