Heading into their Week 2 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles have been playing musical chairs with their defensive depth. On Tuesday, the Eagles waived Hall from the active roster, which caught fans off guard given the team’s depth at DT.
Then, on Wednesday, Philadelphia signed defensive tackle Jacob Sykes to the practice squad, who was with the team this summer. However, the Eagles aren’t keeping Sykes around, as they cut him on Thursday to bring back Hall on the taxi squad.
Eagles Quickly Ushers Out Jacob Sykes, Bring Back Gabe Hall to Practice Squad
It’s not surprising to see teams like the Eagles make constant changes to their practice squad and active roster. Early in the season, the practice squad is very fluid, as teams bring in multiple players for tryouts while also calling up players on game day if they need depth at a certain position.
Nonetheless, Eagles fans are happy to see Hall back on the team, who had to clear waivers a couple of days ago to get back to the practice squad. Philadelphia took a risk by exposing him to waivers, as any team could've signed him.
The 24-year-old defensive lineman was one of the standout stars in the preseason, leaving a good impression on the coaching staff. According to Pro Football Focus, four tackles (which include two defensive stops) and three pressures in three preseason games.
For an Eagles team that was looking for a couple of players to emerge at the DT spot, Hall took advantage of the opportunity and was rewarded by playing in Week 1.
The 24-year-old defender played five defensive and four special teams snaps against the Dallas Cowboys. In his limited snaps on defense, Hall posted a 57.1 pass rush grade and a 45.3 run defense grade.
Since he’s back on the practice squad, the Eagles could elevate Hall a few times in case they need some extra depth on the defensive line.
Lastly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sykes back in Philadelphia in the near future, as they clearly like his skillset enough to sign him on Tuesday after cutting him ahead of the roster cutdown deadline.