Eagles sign Air Force's Hall as wideout/returner

It's been a few years since Chad Hall last played football, but the former Air Force Academy star running back and receiver showed enough skills in Monday's "pro day" workout at the University of Utah that the Eagles signed him yesterday.

Hall, 23, projects as a wideout/returner for the Birds, perhaps along the lines of Danny Amendola, the free agent they kept on their practice squad last season who eventually was signed away by the Rams. Amendola ended up returning kicks and punts for St. Louis, and also caught 43 passes for 326 yards.

For the time being, though, as Hall counts down the remaining days in his 2-year service commitment, he said he's working 10- to 12-hour days at Hill Air Force Base in Salt Lake City, and working out in his spare time.

"Right now I'm part of the 421st Fighter Squadron, the Black Widows," Hall, a second lieutenant, told reporters while on a conference call. "You have 28 F-16s and about 200 troops. Right now I'm the assistant commander, so I'm second in command."

Hall, 5-8, said he is just a pound or 2 over 185 now; he was listed at 180 in his senior year, when he scored 16 touchdowns and finished third nationally with 208.7 all-purpose yards per game in 2007.

"I definitely have to get back into football shape. Over the past 6 months, I have been throwing with a couple of different quarterbacks and trying to get the ball in my hands as much as possible . . . I do have a challenge, but I'm ready for it."

Hall's skills seem well-suited for the Eagles' offense. He said that after the Air Force "my one dream in life was to get back on the field and play in the NFL."

Hall, who grew up in Atlanta, went to minicamp with the Falcons following his senior year in college, and also tried out with the Bills. There was talk that Hall could get released from his service commitment if he made a roster, but he didn't, and he wasn't. Instead, he has spent 2 years with F-16s, which he said are "always breaking."