Eagles' Special Teams Afterthought: Time to Get Younger at Long Snapper?

The Philadelphia Eagles' offseason depth chart features representation at every position except one: the NFL's ultimate afterthought, long snapper.

Last season, the Eagles moved on from longtime snapper Rick Lovato—who had been with the team for both Super Bowl championships—and signed veteran Charley Hughlett.

However, Hughlett's core muscle injury sidelined him for over two months, leading to a split workload with Cal Adomitis. Both performed reliably enough that no major mishaps drew attention, passing the "pass/fail test" test that defines success at the position.

In 2024, Lovato faced some blame for inconsistencies in veteran kicker Jake Elliott's performance. Lovato later signed briefly with the Los Angeles Chargers before retiring mid-2025 season.

Elliott's struggles persisted last season.

Hughlett, now turning 36 in May, became a free agent after a 2025 stint with the Eagles that included time on injured reserve and a late-season practice squad return. Adomitis, meanwhile, landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he remains.

There's no urgency in March to solve the long snapper spot, and a quick call to re-sign Hughlett could be the easiest fix for continuity.

That said, the Eagles may prefer injecting some youth and securing a longer-term solution.

Few teams ever burn a draft pick on a long snapper, so any rookie would arrive as an undrafted free agent.

The Eagles have shown early interest by inviting two prospects to their local pro day on April 15: Penn State's Tyler Duzansky (an East-West Shrine Game participant and Patrick Mannelly Award finalist) and Temple's Isaiah Hayse (Hula Bowl invitee).

Special teams assistant Tyler Brown recently scouted North Carolina's pro day, and the Tar Heels’ Spencer Triplett. Other notable 2026 long snapper prospects to monitor include:

Oregon's Luke Basso and Georgia's Beau Gardner (Senior Bowl)
BYU's Garrison Grimes (East-West Shrine Bowl, often ranked near the top of the class)
Ohio State's John Ferlmann and Florida's Rocco Underwood (American Bowl).