Redskins activate DeAngelo Hall from the PUP list, release Orlando Franklin

The Redskins are getting back one of their longest tenured players. DeAngelo Hall was activated from the PUP list and should be active on Sunday.

Late on Friday night, the Redskins received a boost to their defense was sorely needed. Heading into Sunday, the team had only three safeties on their active roster. Stefan McClure had been placed on Injured Reserve, and the team needed some depth in the defensive backfield. They got that by activating DeAngelo Hall.

Hall, a 13 year veteran, had spent the entire 2017 season to date on the PUP list. He was recovering from an ACL tear that had sidelined him starting in Week 3 of the 2016 season. Now, he will return to the team in a backup role.

This is good news for the Redskins. Hall is a savvy veteran who will be familiar with the team’s defensive scheme. He has a boatload of experience at cornerback and looked decent at safety last year. There’s a chance that he might not be as solid as he was last year, given his age and the injury he is recovering from. But having him as a fourth safety should help the team a good deal. He can provide depth, which is something that the Redskins are currently lacking.

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To make room for Hall, the Redskins elected to cut interior lineman Orlando Franklin. The former Charger and Bronco was added to the team last Saturday to provide depth in the wake of the numerous injuries that the team had suffered. However, he was mostly there as a versatile, depth guy and wasn’t expected to last long. That turned out to be true.

While the Redskins will still be without four of their linemen on Saturday, including starters Spencer Long, Shawn Lauvao, and likely Trent Williams, Franklin wasn’t needed. They have some other guys on their squad that can play the same role as him, including Tyler Catalina, who has been with the team since signing as an undrafted free agent this offseason. Thus, Franklin was let go.

The release of Franklin also means that Brandon Scherff is likely to play on Sunday. Scherff, who missed last week’s contest with an MCL sprain, had been limited in practice each of the last two days, but he was expected to play. If Scherff was unlikely to play, the Redskins wouldn’t have released Franklin, as he would have served as the seventh offensive lineman.

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Overall, this was a necessary move. Hall needed to be activated, the Redskins needed safety depth, and they had too many defensive linemen. Franklin was the casualty for the team, but he won’t be missed as much once the rest of the offensive line gets healthy.

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