Hall was clearly not the player Reid thought he was.
Only a few hours after second-round pick Nate Allen finally signed on (after missing two days of camp), the Eagles released DE/OLB Alex Hall -- a piece they picked up in the Chris Gocong/Sheldon Brown trade.
So while it's great Allen is finally in camp and can get started learning the defense he'll be helping to run, the fact that Hall was the guy to get the axe is sure to drive those of us who hated the Brown trade to begin with even crazier.
All we heard about was how this kid was so athletic and was gonna be the next piece of the puzzle at SAM linebacker. And then the tune changed, and he was moved to defensive end. For me, that was the beginning of the end.
A position switch usually means the team just doesn't know what to do with the guy. And for Hall, he didn't stay at linebacker very long.
They moved him to a position that is absolutely loaded with competition, including three draft picks, and clearly weren't expecting much out of him.
So, in essence, they traded away two starters for a fourth and fifth-round pick and a guy they didn't even want to keep around as a camp body.
I said when it happened, and I'll say it now: this trade is going to come back to bite them, and it's going to bite them hard. Ellis Hobbs is not the answer as a full-time starter on the right side, and for as maddening as Gocong was, he could have been a very cheap and very effective backup.
They had better hope Brown has nothing left, Gocong continues to be a run-of-the-mill starter, and Trevard Lindley and Ricky Sapp both turn into All-Stars. Otherwise, this is going to be remembered as one of the worst moves of the Andy Reid era.
Speaking of trades, let's hope Allen turns into an All-Star as well, or the same shadow might be cast on the ill-advised Donovan McNabb trade.