Former NFL cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who spent time with the Falcons, Raiders and the bulk of his career (2008-2017) with the Washington Commanders, has never been shy about expressing his feelings. Hall, a three-time Pro Bowl player, finished his NFL career with 43 interceptions, including an NFL-record four in one game.
Following football, he then ventured into the broadcast booth, where he could give his opinion on the game he’s played all his life. Hall recently worked for the Commanders before leaving to join the NFL Network.
And he didn’t waste any time or words sharing his feelings on the current regime.
In an interview this week with “BMitch & Finlay” on 106.7 The Fan, Hall shared his feelings about how his former team is not evolving.
“It’s going to be hard to beat the Eagles,” Hall said. “They’re loading up. And it’s frustrating as a fan when you see your team not loading up.”
Hall’s comments stem from the Eagles signing free agent James Bradberry, the former Carolina Panthers and New York Giants cornerback. Bradberry experienced some exceptional years under current Commanders head coach Ron Rivera while in Carolina. Washington struggled in the secondary last season, and Hall saw a player in Bradberry who knows the system and seemed like a perfect fit.
“You have the opportunity to be great … Your mindset gotta be ‘I want a gold jacket’. What are you going to do to get that gold jacket? How hard are you willing to work?“@DeAngeloHall23 gave an inspiring speech to the DB class after the Combine. 💯 pic.twitter.com/qedJEagAXF
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 7, 2022
Is The Washington Franchise’s Mindset Too Archaic? Hall Believes So
The hiring of seasoned head coach Ron Rivera brought more discipline and stability to a Commanders franchise in dire need of such. At the same time, Rivera’s presence also brought a more old-school approach to team building, and for Hall that kind of throwback approach, especially on offense, is not going to win enough games.
“I just feel like when I watch this team, it never freaking evolves. It stays the same. If you were successful doing something, instead of trying to go back and figure out what we did that worked, what we didn’t do that didn’t work. We just stay status quo and think, All right, it’s going to be a simple as it was.”
JACKED UP FOR WEEK 1
⬇️ NO FEES UNTIL 8 PM TOMORROW ⬇️
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 13, 2022
Did Team Cut Spending To Re-Sign Terry McLaurin?
The Commanders have been pretty quiet during an extremely busy NFL free agency period. The team’s biggest move was adding quarterback Carson Wentz via trade in an effort to shore up a key position of need. But besides bringing in a retread QB, it’s been pretty quiet on the home front and the inactivity also doesn’t sit well with Hall.
Reports spread that the cap on spending was directly related to having enough money to sign dynamic WR McLaurin to a lucrative extension. With the wide receiver market exploding this offseason, “Scary Terry” is expected to get the bag.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler had this to say:
“I’m told Washington spent mildly in free agency in part because it budgeted for re-signing McLaurin. The Commanders see him as a true cornerstone and team leader. The money must validate that, and the ballooning receiver market — with $20 million per year serving as a mere entrance fee into the club —looms large here.”
While Hall agrees with locking up McLaurin, he wants to see more of an effort to land pieces to help win the NFC East, a division without a repeat winner since 2003.
“You think of a lot of coulda, shoulda, woulda. The price of winning the division has just gone up,” Hall said.
So far the Dallas Cowboys and Eagles are the clear class of the division and Washington is once again in a position to battle for division bottom feeder with the New York Giants, who also improved tremendously through the draft.
