In the end, he chose proximity to home over an immediate starting job. The newest Redskins cornerback won’t come in and start, but both he and the organization are optimistic about his long-range future in Washington. He signed a one-year deal Saturday, but both sides say they hope the relationship lasts a lot longer.

“I just feel in my gut, this is the place for me,” he said.

“He not only has the capabilities, he’s done it,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “He’s a very good player; we hope he fits in well here.”

In the short-term he’ll likely receive about 20 to 30 snaps against Dallas on Sunday night. He provides the Redskins with greater flexibility. They now have four corners capable of starting – Hall, Carlos Rogers, Shawn Springs and Fred Smoot. They’ve used four corners in the game at one time, with Springs shifting to free safety.

“Every team wants its best players on the field,” Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray said. “If that means putting Shawn at free and letting LaRon [Landry] play strong, that’s what we’ll do. But we haven’t crossed that bridge yet.”

For Hall, he’s happy to help wherever.

”This team is close to a championship,” he said. “I felt I did fit in whether it’s right away or in the future. I don’t mind working for what I get. I’ve had to do that since day one. I’m just out here to help this team win, whether it’s off the bench or starting.”

And the other corners welcomed him.

“It’s not every year you get a Pro Bowl corner released in the eighth week of the season,” Smoot said. “The opportunity was there to make a move and they made a move. They didn’t do it out of necessity. But anytime you can add a DeAngelo Hall to your team, come on, you can’t turn that down. We’ve been the strength of the defense so far; you’ve just made us stronger.”

But also consider this: the Redskins have had their starting secondary together for only three of nine games because of injuries. Washington hopes that Springs can return from a calf injury Sunday; he’s already missed five games this season.

Also, running back Clinton Portis is “50-50” for the Dallas game because of a sprained knee.

But Hall is healthy and ready to go, atoning for a miserable eight games in Oakland. He struggled, especially early, in playing the Raiders’ press man coverage — a tactic the Redskins corners love.

“I feel like that situation in Oakland left a bitter taste in my mouth,” he said. “I have to have a great rest of the season, but I also feel I’ve done so much already that all I have to do is go out and do what I need to do.”

Hall, who spent his first three seasons in Atlanta, is a two-time Pro Bowler who makes big plays. He has 20 career interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.

“I like to make plays,” he said. “I like to get in the end zone.”

“That’s the only way to get to the Pro Bowl,” Gray said. “You take calculated risks.”

But Hall also has a mixed past, stemming in part from a shouting match on the sidelines during a game last year in Atlanta, when he got into an argument with then-head coah Bobby Petrino. Hall was fined $100,000, but said he later won an appeal and got his money back. He said the issue wasn’t him.

“[Bobby] Petrino solidified that when he packed his bags in the middle of the season,” he said.