Eagles Have More "Sexy" Needs, But Don't Forget Long Snapper

There’s nothing “sexy” about being a long snapper, unless, of course, you’re married to one. Otherwise, try to name more than two currently employed by NFL teams…not easy.

Maybe you can because there were some in the news on Monday, the first day of the NFL's free-agent legal tampering period. None of the long-snapper moves involved the Eagles, but they need one. They don't have one on the roster at the moment, though they briefly didn’t have one on the active roster in late December either, after they cut Charley Hughlett, brought him back to the practice squad, then elevated him for the final handful of games.

Hughlett is a free agent. Cal Adomitis, who filled in for nine games when Hughlett missed time after a core muscle injury led to abdominal muscle surgery.

Again, long snapper talk...not sexy. It’s not like discussing a pass rusher that the Eagles find themselves in the market for after losing Jaelan Phillips to the Carolina Panthers, or a safety, something else on the Eagles’ offseason shopping list after Reed Blankenship left for the Houston Texans, or a receiver, such as A.J. Brown (have we had enough of that talk, yet?) or who will replace the misused Jahan Dotson as the third receiver.

Eagles Known For Long Snapper Longevity

Eagles long snapper Cal Adomitis played nine games in relief of Charley Hughlett last season, but, like Hughlett, is a free agent in 2026. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

You get the idea. Long snappers are a luxury that many take for granted. You never hear about them until they mess up one snap, but they are just as important. Four of them were signed on Monday: Joe Cardona (Rams), Andrew DePaola (Vikings), James Winchester (Chiefs), and Morgan Cox (Titans).

The Eagles have been fortunate through the years to have stability at the position, with only three starters from 2000 through 2024. Hughlett, who turns 26 in May, was signed on March 14 last year.

The three primary long snappers for the Eagles through the years have been Mike Bartrum (2000-06), Jon Dorenbos (2006-16), and Rick Lovato (2017-24), who won two Super Bowl rings with the team and may be the one of the more difficult names to remember in about 10 years when someone asks you to name the Eagles who have done that.

There are usually several in the draft that are available on Day 3 or as undrafted free agents, and this year is no exception. Again, you may have never heard of them, so here they are:

Luke Basso (Oregon); Beau Gardener (Georgia); Tyler Duzansky (Penn State); Garrison Grimes (BYU); John Ferlmann (Ohio State); and Rocco Underwood (Florida).