Cleveland Browns make concerning announcement about Mike Hall Jr.

Mike Hall Jr. has not been very available for the Cleveland Browns during the first two seasons of his NFL career.

Dec 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (51) reacts after a play during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns second year defensive lineman will have to wait at least another week before making his season debut after being ruled out for this week and won’t make the trip with the team to London.

#Browns DT Mike Hall Jr, (knee) has been ruled out for the #Vikings game and won’t make the trip to London.

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 1, 2025

Hall is still sidelined from a knee injury that occurred in Cleveland's Week 18 game last season. Hall has missed all five games this season. 

Hall did participate in a limited fashion during Wednesday’s practice. The only player who did not play was Myles Garrett, who is currently dealing with an ankle injury. Other players who were limited include Joel Bitonio, Maliek Collins, Jack Conklin, Grant Delpit, David Njoku and Cornelius Lucas. 

Hall is the only Brown to not be traveling with the team to London.

The Browns opted not to place Hall on the injured reserve at the beginning of the season, but now Hall has missed more than four games, the minimum amount of time a player has to be on IR.

Hall was drafted by the Browns last season out of Ohio State in the second round. He got a late start to his NFL career, dealing with legal issues due to an arrest on domestic violence charges before the season began. He was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list for the start of the 2024 season while his legal battles were underway.

Hall appeared in just eight games last season, racking up 14 total tackles and one sack.

The Ohio native was a standout at Ohio State. After redshirting his true freshman season, Hall became starter on the Buckeyes defensive line. Hall struggled with injury again during his sophomore year in college. He appeared in 28 career games for the Buckeyes, racking up 45 tackles, six sacks and earning all-Big Ten team honors twice. 

While it’s clear the Browns organization still believes in Hall’s ability to turn it around, it appears the clock is beginning to tick for him.

The longer Hall is sidelined, the harder it will be for him to get consistent reps on the line. Rookie Mason Graham has been a stud early this season, and Maliek Collins has looked like a key piece of the team so far. Even undrafted rookie Adin Huntington is proving his worth on the team.

Hopefully Hall will make his season debut soon and provide the Browns with some solid depth on one of the league’s best defensive lines, and potentially earn a starting job by the end of year two.