1 undrafted free agent who will make Eagles’ 2024 roster

   

Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is well over, it's time for teams like the Philadelphia Eagles to start figuring out their eventual 53-man roster.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have put together another impressive offseason thus far for Philadelphia. Hoping to make another playoff run and forget the blundering mess they ended last season with, the Eagles hope to have found the missing pieces to their roster for the upcoming 2024 season.

Eagles undrafted free agent, Baylor defensive lineman Gabe Hall.

They started in veteran free agency when they grabbed guys like cornerback CJ Gardner-Johnson and traded for former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Then they walked out of the draft with nine picks. But they soon followed that up by signing seven undrafted free agents.

Here they are:

  • Gottlieb Ayedze, OT
  • McCallan Castles, TE
  • Anim Dankwah, OT
  • Gabe Hall, DT
  • Kendall Milton, RB
  • Andre' Sam, S
  • Laekin Vakalahi, OT

Looking at all seven undrafted free agents, if we had to pick only one to make the 53-man roster on the next-to-last Tuesday before the regular season begins, it would probably be Baylor football's defensive tackle Gabe Hall.

Baylor's Gabe Hall has the best chance to make the Eagles' 53-man roster

Not wanting to take on his future salary cap hit, the Eagles traded away Haason Reddick to the New York Jets, leaving a bit of a concern for the team's pass rush this upcoming season. The Eagles were able to re-sign defensive end Josh Sweat, along with linebacker Zack Baun to a one-year deal, not to mention drafting edge rusher Jalyx Hunt. But as far as the interior of their line goes, there's last year's first-round draft pick Jalen Carter and second-year Jordan Davis now that Fletcher Cox has retired.

Even though they are young, Carter and Davis are bound to be stars, which likely helped Cox make his decision on retirement. But replacing Cox, who started close to 200 games in his 12-year career, still leaves a void on the interior of the defensive line. However, the Eagles could have possibly found someone nice to pair with Carter and Davis in undrafted free agent Gabe Hall.

Hall is a big dude, standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 291 pounds. He played five years for the Baylor Bears in 41 games. He totaled 77 tackles, 16.5 for a loss, 11.5 sacks, three passes defended, and had one forced fumble. Though his sack total went down from 4.5 to 2 from 2022 to 2023, Hall still tallied 21 total pressures and 19 quarterback hurries.

What makes Hall really intriguing, though, is his versatility to play about anywhere on the line. He has 34 1/2 inch arms and an 84-inch wingspan. At Baylor, he could be found lined up against either left or right tackle, nose, or either end.

“He was mostly an interior player in college, but his frame allowed him to move around a lot,” The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman wrote. Hall was named on their list of undrafted free agents to watch.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman also had him on the “Freak's List,” noting how in high school he was a shot putter, could bench 500 pounds, power-clean 465, and squat 650.

“Hall possesses the alignment versatility that Roseman covets up front, along with the upfield push to keep offensive linemen honest on passing downs,” Bleacher Report's Ryan Fowler wrote.

Honestly, it would be shocking if Hall didn't find his way on the 53-man roster. His versatility, along with his size, strength, and overall athletic ability, should meet a lot of teams' requirements.