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The Bears have waived JJ Milan, who was signed a few weeks ago after regular snapper Pat Mannelly was out of action due to a minor hip injury.  Milan did see some snapping action in a couple of pre-season games.

The Patriots have released veteran snapper Nate Hodel, signaling that draft pick Jake Ingram from Hawaii has won the Patriots’ snapping job.  Hodel was signed by the Patriots in the off-season after being let go by the Cardinals, where he spent seven years as the snapper.   Ingram was a Sixth Round pick in this year’s Draft and snapped in the Senior Bowl and at the NFL Combine.

With the first mandatory NFL roster cuts coming this week, some teams have let go of players before Tuesday’s deadline.  One such player is rookie free agent snapper Robert Shiver from Auburn, who was challenging veteran Mike Schneck in Atlanta.  Shiver was waived over the weekend, leaving the Patriots as the NFL team with the most competitive remaining battle at the snapper position.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent a great deal of time at his press conference today talking about the role of long snappers and the history of specialization.  Belichick gave a very detailed history of snapping in the NFL and how roster expansion has allowed teams to keep a roster spot for a snapper.

A link to the transcript of the press conference is below and is worth reading.

Belichick Press Conference

The Giants are the only NFL team to divide snapping duties between two different players, but it looks like that will not be possible this season.  Short snapper Jay Alford was injured in the game against the Bears and may be placed on injured reserve.  Punt snapper Zak DeOssie will now handle both duties, although the Giants have indicated that DeOssie may have done both this season even if Alford had not been injured.

The Bills waived incumbent snapper Ryan Neill today, leaving Garrison Sanborn as the snapper.  Neill had been the snapper in Buffalo for the last two seasons.  Sanborn went undrafted last year out of Florida State but impressed the Bills at a workout last year that led to his signing this off-season.

Although this blog seeks to illuminate the anonymous role of the long snapper, there are other key components in the kicking game.  Like snapping, another role often taken for granted is the holder.  In the case of the Colts and snapper Justin Snow, there is an adjustment in the form of a new holder this season.  The Colts drafted punter Pat McAfee this year and he will replace Hunter Smith as holder.   A story in today’s Indianapolis Star by Mike Chappell, linked below, discusses the role of the holder and its importance to the Colts’ kicking game.

Holder Article

With the pre-season schedule just beginning, some teams have had to adjust their snappers.  Bears veteran Pat Mannelly has been sidelined with a minor hip injury and, as a precautionary move, the Bears signed J.J. Milan to fill-in.  Milan has prior camp experience with the Colts and Raiders.  The Chiefs, who have made a number of moves at the snapping position in just the last few months, reversed a recent transaction and brought back Thomas Gafford.  Gafford had been waived recently, leaving Tanner Purdum as the only snapper on the roster, but the Chiefs let go of Purdum yesterday and brought Gafford back.

The Panthers have waived rookie snapper Nick Sundberg, making JJ Jansen the snapper for this season.  Sundberg was rookie from California and had been expected to compete with Jansen, who was acquired in a trade with the Packers in the off-season.

Patriots’ Sixth Round pick, snapper Jake Ingram, reached an agreement on a four-year contract last week and is now in camp and competiting with veteran Nate Hodel for the snapping job.  The NFL Long Snappers chart has been updated with the latest snapping moves.