Eagles Friendship Forged From Being In Same Boat

PHILADELPHIA – They were in the same boat last year, and when you’re paddling upstream to try to find a spot on a Super Bowl-winning roster, it helps to have help. So, Byron Young and Gabe Hall rowed together.

It worked, and both are part of the Eagles’ 53-man roster. For Hall, it’s his first time on the 53 after spending his rookie season on the practice squad. For Young, he was on the active roster after being claimed after his release from the Raiders last summer but was inactive on game days.

“We were just able to connect because we were doing the scout team stuff, but when everybody else left, he and I would stay back,” said Hall.

They spent time working with Eagles developmental coach Pat McDowell, on those moments they stayed back.

“We've just grown close because of the work that we've put in,” said Young.

Brotherly Bond And A Shoulder To Cry On

Eagles defensive lineman Gabe Hall, shown here in a preseason game, made the team's initial 53-man roster after a year on the practice squad. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Hall called Young his brother, and Young said the same thing about Hall being his brother, so when adversity struck Young, he was there for him. That adversity was the passing of Young’s father at the end of March. He had just been to visit for a few days, but the day after he left to return to Philadelphia to resume working out, his dad suddenly passed away.

“I was up here (in Philly) by myself, and he was the only person who I felt comfortable going to and being with him and crying on his shoulder,” said Young. “…I know if (his dad) was here, he would have told me, all right, you can cry a little bit, but go ahead and go back to work. That's the kind of man he was, and that's kind of what I try to carry every single day. Just be the same person every single day, no matter what happened yesterday.”

Young started 32 games over two seasons with the Raiders, so it’s not like his dad hadn’t seen him play or make a 53-man roster. Still, Young said losing his dad was a difficult time, as most anyone who has lost their dad would know.

“I know that he's watching down on me, but the past year's been a difficult year,” he said. “You know, there's been a lot of stuff that people might not know that is going on, man, but for me to just persist through it all and remain the same person and work every single day, that's the kind of man I want to be in when I have kids eventually, that's what I want them to be, and that's example I want to be for anybody who's watching me.  So it's been tough, man, but the past 48 hours, you know, it's all been worth it.”

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