Getty Free agent kicker Austin Jones is the fourth-leading scorer all-time for Temple football.
The Eagles were actively making moves on Friday, according to the NFL transactions wire. Philadelphia waived defensive end Daeshon Hall from the PUP list and brought in former Temple and Alabama kicker Austin Jones for a workout. Some big-time moves, huh?
Just kidding. Obviously, the decision to audition another kicker leads to the belief that maybe the Eagles aren’t as enthused with Jake Elliott as they are letting on. They also worked out Candian Football League star Lirim Hajrullahu last week. Both special-teams coordinator Dave Fipp and head coach Doug Pederson have given Elliott a vote of confidence.
Elliott missed a routine 29-yard field goal on Thursday night, adding to a disappointing stretch of weeks where he missed a 57-yarder versus Pittsburgh and a 52-yarder versus Baltimore. He is 8-for-12 on the year (66.7%) while going a perfect 11-for-11 on extra points.
“Still got a lot of confidence in Jake, and I’ll put him back out there in any of those situations again,” Pederson said after Thursday night’s game. “Just a little bit of a pull by Jake. It’s uncharacteristic of him, especially at that distance.”
Jake Elliott is only 19 for 26 on field goals since signing a contract extension in November 2019. 9th highest paid kicker annually.
For perspective, 73% made ranked 27th out of 33 kickers last season.
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Jones Spent Time Kicking at Alabama, Temple
Jones is a Florida native who spent four seasons kicking at Temple before transferring to Alabama as a graduate student. He won the starting job for the Crimson Tide coming out of camp in 2018, then swiftly lost it to redshirt freshman Joseph Bulovas.
At Temple, Jones was a bonafide stud who left as the school’s fourth-leading scorer (252 points) and second-best kicker behind Denver’s Brandon McManus. He went 50-for-67 (74.6%) on field goals and 102-for-104 (98.1%) on extra points in 36 games. Jones set a school record in 2016 when he nailed 19 straight field goals, including a 45-yarder.
Awesome time at A-Day this weekend! Also good luck to my man @Jones_Austin1 on kicking for the tide next year! #RollTide
Hall Couldn’t Stay Healthy in Philly
The Eagles most likely reached an injury settlement with Hall who started the year on the PUP list. He was still rehabbing from tearing his ACL on the final snap of the 2019 regular season. The team may try and bring him back to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
It’s a disappointing end for Hall who flashed last year during training camp. He outplayed Shareef Miller, Joe Ostman, and even eventual breakout star Josh Sweat last year to force his way onto the 53-man roster. Hall led the Eagles in sacks (4), tackles for loss (4), QB hits (11), and forced fumbles (3) in the preseason.
Daeshon Hall is back at it again!
“I feel like whatever is for me is for me. Whatever God has in store for me is going to happen,” Hall said last preseason, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Whether that means me being here or me being on another team. I’ll be grateful for whatever opportunity comes.”
But the injuries kept piling up. Prior to the torn ACL, the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder battled a shoulder and stinger injury that limited him at times. He saw action in nine games for the Eagles in 2019 and recorded one sack. He finishes his Philly career (for now) with nine total tackles (1 for loss), 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits in 12 games.
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