Chad Hall appears to be losing ground in fight for Eagles roster spot

Air Force Lt. Chad Hall had unspectacular performance for the Philadelphia Eagles during their 20-17 win against Kansas City on Friday. It’s the second preseason game in a row in which Hall has failed to stand out,  bad news for a player considered to be a longshot to make the Eagles 53-man roster.

Hall had no catches in the game against the Chiefs, and just five yards on two punt returns. A week ago against Cincinnati, Hall had two catches for only nine yards. And after getting two carries as a running back in the Eagles first preseason game, Hall has not had a chance to carry the ball since.

Local sportswriters are  starting to speculate that he may be the odd man out in the battle for one of Philly’s wide receiver roster spots.

“He was a nice story for a little while in camp but I think it’s safe to say Chad Hall won’t make the roster,” DelawareOnline.com’s Geoff Mosher wrote Sunday. “His best value is in the return game but he didn’t show enough to make anyone think DeSean Jackson should take a seat to him. As for being a slot receiver, the Eagles don’t need him there badly enough to keep a roster spot for him.”

The Trentonian’s Bob Grotz also predicts Hall will not be picked for the last wide receiver spot.

The Eagles have relied solely on Hall as a punt returner so far in preseason, but the little lieutenant hasn’t been able to break out a big play. Making thing harder for Hall is that, barring injury, starting wide receiver DeSean Jackson is considered one of the more dangerous punt return men in the NFL. Jackson has been banged up in the preseason, and  many teams are wary of using a #1 receiver as a punt returner because of the punishment players take in that role. But Jackson’s injuries don’t sound too serious, and it doesn’t sound like Hall has done enough in the return game for Philly to keep him solely to catch punts.

Two weeks ago Hall’s performance in Philadelphia’s first preseason game briefly made him the buzz of Eagles training camp. But going into the final week of the preseason, there may be little he can do to improve his stock. Teams have to cut down to 75 players by Aug. 31, with final cuts coming on Sept. 4. If he can make it past Tuesday’s roster trimming, he’ll have one more chance to shine when the Eagles play the Jets on Thursday.