Philadelphia Eagles: It’s time to activate Daeshon Hall on game day
The Philadelphia Eagles need to add more pressure on game day from their front line. Could Daeshon Hall help out?
Doesn’t this feel so typical? We want the Philadelphia Eagles to give a preseason standout a shot for an underperforming position. Sorry, we just can’t help ourselves. We sat through four preseason games and watched the Eagles’ edge depth play ball, and no one stood out more than former third-round pick, Daeshon Hall.
Not even 2018 fourth-round pick, Josh Sweat. Understandably, the Eagles want to roll with the younger guy, who they drafted a season ago — but how long will the Josh Sweat experiment last before it’s time to finally give the preseason star a go with some limited reps?
It’s not like we’re saying Daeshon Hall deserves snaps over Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham, no. However, those rotational reps that Vinny Curry and Josh Sweat scooped up haven’t really been all that productive thus far. As we continue to see the Eagles rely more on the blitz, rather than remain confident in their pass rushers, something has to give.
Reviewing the progress so far
Counting sacks is an overrated stat in today’s game. But that doesn’t mean that sacks don’t matter. Right now, the Eagles’ defense has two sacks through two games. Shockingly enough, none of the pass rushers are responsible for either. Not Barnett, not Graham, nor the rest.
Clearly, that’s not an ideal scenario. And what’s even worse is that the two rotational defensive ends have been extremely underwhelming thus far. Veteran defensive end Vinny Curry has accounted for 30-percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps through two weeks.
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Josh Sweat, on the other hand, has played in 24-percent. Between both defensive ends, they have accounted for five total tackles, none of which were for a loss. Neither of them has sacked the quarterback or even had the opportunity to register a hit on the QB. In other words, they aren’t creating too much pressure for the passer while in the game.
Could Hall help out the defensive line?
Daeshon Hall is what you would call an underperforming prospect from where he was drafted. As a third-round pick, Hall hasn’t offered much in the NFL. After getting injured ahead of his rookie season, the Carolina Panthers eventually waived him in 2018.
He was eventually signed to the Eagles active roster last season from Houston and appeared in three games with the Eagles. He didn’t play much, accounting for only 16 snaps in those three matchups collecting three tackles, a hit on the quarterback and a half of a sack.
This past preseason though, he led the NFL in sacks clearly showing he’s more motivated than ever and working to live up to his draft value. Again, we’re not suggesting the Eagles throw Hall out there on game day to take over starter’s reps.
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Would a small percentage of snaps really hurt though? In all honesty, Hall outplayed Sweat in the preseason playing against the same caliber of competition. If Sweat’s underperforming, there should be no reason why Hall can’t garner some reps on game day either.
Starting this week, the Eagles should consider activating Hall to keep him available. Therefore, they can sprinkle him in as they see fit. And who knows, maybe he resurges and proves he is a third-round caliber defensive end. At this point, he couldn’t hurt.