EAGLES NFL DRAFT PREVIEW: The Specialists

The Eagles are not in the market for any specialists and are bringing the band back for a third consecutive season with placekicker Jake Elliott, punter Cameron Johnston, and long snapper Rick Lovato.

Elliott and Lovato got long-term extensions and Johnson signed his tender as an exclusive rights free agent.

Furthermore, because Elliott and Johnston are still young and there isn’t going to be much of an offseason, if any, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Philadelphia doesn’t even have to worry about bringing in some pseudo-camp competition in order to keep either kicker fresh with a bit of a pitch count.

If the Eagles do bring someone in, it will likely only be to build up a dossier of sorts if injuries strike any of the specialists.

One other curveball to think about, however, is expanded practice squads under the new collective bargaining agreement. The number spikes from 10 players to 12 in the presumed 2020 season and 2021. By 2022, the PS will grow to 14 players, numbers that could impact the strategy of keeping another long snapper or kicking specialist for a rainy day.

Insurance is never sexy but you don't have to go back too many years when the Eagles lost veteran long snapper Jon Dorenbos to injury in 2016 and the emergency replacement, Trey Burton, got hurt as well.

That led Philadelphia to the street to sign Lovato, who had cups of coffee with Chicago, Green Bay and Washington before ultimately settling down with the Eagles and developing into the Pro Bowl long snapper for the NFC last season.

EAGLES MAVEN TOP 5 PLACEKICKERS:

1. Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia

2. Samuel Sloman, Miami-Ohio

3. Tyler Bass, Georgia Southern

4. Cooper Rothe, Wyoming

5. JJ Molson, UCLA

EAGLES MAVEN TOP 5 PUNTERS:

1. Braden Mann, Texas A&M

2. Michael Turk, Arizona State

3. Joseph Charlton, South Carolina

4. Tommy Townsend, Florida

5. Blake Gillikin, Penn State

EAGLES MAVEN TOP 5 LONG SNAPPERS:

1. Blake Ferguson, LSU

2. Steve Wirtel, Iowa State

3. Richard McNitzky, Stanford

4. Liam McCullough, Ohio State

5. Michael Pifer, Navy

John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes and on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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