Bucs Expect Big Things From A Bigger Logan Hall

The Bucs’ offseason message to Logan Hall was simple. In order to make a bigger jump in terms of playing time and production in his second season he had to get bigger.

And that’s exactly what he’s has done this spring.

Hall has added a dozen pounds to his massive frame and is closing in on 300 pounds, according to defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers.

“I just talked to him, he’s like 296 (pounds) right now,” Rodgers said. “He’s getting bigger and stronger. We like where he’s going.”

The team’s first draft pick last year, which came at the top of the second round, Hall arrived in Tampa Bay checking in at 6-foot-6, 283 pounds. Too light to play every down, the Houston product was relegated to backup duty as a rookie. He played just 403 snaps, producing 17 tackles, 10 hurries, four QB hits and 2.5 sacks in limited work.

Hall was originally drafted to play the 3-technique defensive tackle spot that Ndamukong Suh played from 2019-21 due to his quickness and athleticism. But the Bucs just spent their 2023 first-round pick on Calijah Kancey, an undersized defensive tackle at 6-foot-1, 281 pounds, who is even more quick and athletic than Hall is. So instead, Kancey will take over the 3-technique role and get matched up one-on-one with guards to take advantage of his elite traits.

Logan Hall Will Take Over Will Gholston’s Role On Bucs Defense

Bucs DL Logan Hall – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With veterans Akiem Hicks and Will Gholston unsigned, the current plan is for Logan Hall to play more of the 4i technique defensive lineman role that the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Gholston has played for years in Todd Bowles’ defense.

“Very similar measurables,” Rodgers said of Hall and Gholston. “If those group of guys were in there at that time, we would see Logan playing this role and Kancey playing that role and Vita playing his role. With his skill set very similar to what Will brought to us.”

Gholston was a key run stuffer for the Bucs over the years, but was not an even average pass rusher. Hall used his athleticism last year to post 2.5 sacks last year, while Gholston didn’t record a single QB capture in 2022.

But Hall will need to make strides in run defense to truly replace Gholston, and that’s where his extra size and strength will need to come in handy. The Bucs had a Top 3 run defense from 2019-2021, but it slipped to 15th last year as the unit went from allowing 91.6 yards per game in 2021 to 121.1 yards per game in 2022.

“That will be the first thing we address when we come back as a whole, and we get ready for mini-camp – all of us sitting in there,” Rodgers said of Tampa Bay’s run defense. “I promise you that will be the first thing we address. I look back at it and evaluate it, and first of all, we need to get back to technique and fundamentals.

“Then when I looked at overall in the big scheme of things, when your run defense is really good, your pass defense suffers. This [past] year our pass defense went up and our pass defense went down. And then I looked at the people we played, and we played six or eight of the top rushing offenses. They get paid, too. But stopping the run gives us a chance to win.”

Bucs Wanted To Get Quicker, Faster Up Front With Logan Hall, Calijah Kancey

Bucs DT Logan Hall – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs hope that quicker, faster defensive linemen like Logan Hall and Calijah Kancey can make more plays behind the line of scrimmage that bigger, slower D-linemen like Hicks and Gholston couldn’t a year ago.

“We do want to offset some positive [run] gains with more TFLs (tackles for loss) with quicker guys,” Rodgers said. “We really felt like we had to get faster on defense – we really did. You’re talking about a guy who, when we evaluated [Kancey], was really, really explosive.

“In the past couple of years we’ve been really big and powerful. Now we wanted to tweak it and add some quickness and more explosiveness. A lot of the ways we set our front, we create a lot of valuable matchups for certain people. We play a lot of Bear front, which there are only so many ways to protect [against] it. When you put Vita in certain places and there are only so many ways to protect [against] it. So we’re looking more explosiveness and quickness.”

For Hall and Kancey, they can be moved around like chess pieces in Bowles’ defense, creating certain mismatches up front. But more importantly with Tampa Bay playing more of a Bear front with six defenders at the line of scrimmage, Hall and Kancey have the chance to stay in one position and master it.

“Before, in the past, we would play more 4 [technique] and 3 [technique], left and right, and this and that. Now with these different pieces we’ve got, Logan can be in one position all the time and doesn’t have to go all over. Kancey can be in one position all the time. Vita can be in one [spot]. We’ve been playing musical chairs in a lot of ways.”

Bucs Expect Logan Hall To Make Big Strides In 2022

Bucs DT Logan Hall and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With a bigger year expected from Hall, getting bigger to be able to hold up against NFL double teams was paramount this offseason. So far so good in terms of the strength and size that Hall has added, according to Rodgers.

“Just make the growth,” Rodgers said. “Now the beauty about him, in talking to the strength coach, he’s been here every day, so that’s the thing – the growth. Just mature as a young player.

“Last year he stepped in and he really did some good things. Probably kudos to me for not putting him out there more – but some of the people we had, guys were just more experienced, and I kept him out. Really, hindsight is 20/20, I should have put him there more, but he’ll make the jump. We expect big things from Logan this year.”