Houston Texans defensive back Andre Hal has announced his retirement from the NFL.
Houston Texans defensive back Andre Hal has surprisingly announced his retirement from the NFL after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. With Hal’s departure, former 2014 first overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney is the sole player left from Texans 2014 draft class. Hal came into the league as a cornerback from Vanderbilt but made the transition to safety in his second season in the league.
He was able to extend his career in the NFL playing at free safety and gave the Texans a defender adept in coverage and able to get his hands on the football. Hal dealt with a lot of adversity on and off the football field after being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, losing his father due to a heart attack and unable to take part in all the team’s activities as he fought for his health.
Hal took a seat back as the Texans relied on Tyrann Mathieu, Justin Reid, and Kareem Jackson for the early portion of the season at safety. He surprisingly returned in the middle of the season after his cancer was in remission and served as the primary backup safety for the majority of the 2018 season.
He returned to the football field on October 25 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished the 2018 season with 13 total tackles, three interceptions, and was nominated by the Texans to earn the Ed Block Courage award after making a remarkable return back to the football field.
Hal is retiring after playing for five seasons with the Texans; he finished with 185 total tackles, 31 pass deflections, 12 interceptions, an interception returned for a touchdown, one sack, and two forced fumbles. Hal was widely expected to be the third safety coming into the 2019 season with Reid and Tashaun Gipson being the expected starters.
Depth at safety becomes a need with the Texans having Reid, Gipson, Michael Tyson, A.J. Hendy, and A.J. Moore as the only safeties under contract for the 2019 season.