In his first offseason as the Atlanta Falcons' president of football, the Falcons have signed a weird number of players who used to be teammates of Matt Ryan. Olamide Zaccheus. Austin Hooper. They're even making extending Kyle Pitts a priority, but this connection isn't some happy coincidence.
In fact, it's the furthest thing, as Atlanta isn't even done yet. The Falcons managed to make yet another move for a player Ryan was one teammates with. Per the team, they are reportedly signing cornerback Darren Hall, another member of Terry Fontenot's much-maligned first draft class in 2021.
Hall was the Dirty Birds' fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, so he played with Ryan during his rookie season. However, he lasted just two seasons of his rookie deal in Flowery Branch and has had stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, with whom he spent the last two years, since.
The Falcons are bringing back former fourth-round pick Darren Hall
The 26-year-old started one of his 14 appearances as a rookie in 2021, but saw an expanded role in 2022. He appeared in all 17 games, including nine starts, where he recorded 45 combined tackles and three pass breakups, but fell victim to Fontenot's final roster cuts back in August of 2023.
He subsequently signed with the Colts, where he was cut a month later. Hall then re-joined them after being cut by the Cardinals, whom he re-joined after Indianapolis cut him again in late 2024. So across six NFL seasons, the California native has unsuccessfully spent time with just these three teams.
The sad part about the San Diego State product is that he was drafted with the 108th pick in the 2021 Draft. Four picks later, the Detroit Lions drafted USC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has since developed into a four-time Pro Bowler and one of the most reliable pass-catchers in the NFL.
I can't imagine Hall will have a very big role for the Falcons either. A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell, and Mike Hughes are firmly entrenched as the starting cornerbacks, with Billy Bowman Jr., Cobee Bryant, and Clark Phillips set to add depth. Odds are he'll compete for a practice squad role with Darnay Holmes.
The rationale behind this signing is clear. Atlanta's new regime clearly values continuity, and that includes bringing in guys their four-time Pro Bowl lead executive played with during his playing days. And since he's arguably the best/most iconic player to ever wear a Falcons' uniform, it's hard to blame Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski for trusting Ryan's judgement and giving Hall a second chance.
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