Week Thirteen was a lucky one for snappers, as it was generally without any major issues, although seven snappers did record tackles in punt coverage.
Just one team had a workout for snappers, as the Cardinals brought in Hunter Bradley, Thomas Fletcher and Steven Wirtel. None were signed.
As for the tackles, Ross Matiscik (Jaguars) and Zach Wood (Saints) each had a tackle and assist. Joe Cardona (Patriots), Rick Lovato (Eagles) and Trent Sieg (Raiders) had solo tackles, while Nick Moore (Ravens) and Charley Hughlett (Browns) each had assisted tackles.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Thirteen is below.
Week Twelve of the NFL season is complete and featured another key penalty for a hit on a defenseless long snapper. Late in the game against the Bengals, a Titans defender was called for hitting Cal Adomitis after a field goal snap. The penalty allowed the Bengals to run out the clock and win the game.
Last night, the Patrick Mannelly Award announced the three finalists for the Award given to the most outstanding FBS long snapper. Alex Ward (UCF), Chris Stoll (Penn State) and Matt Hembrough (Oklahoma State) made the final three. The Award, now in its fourth season, will be presented at a live ceremony outside Chicago, Illinois on December 10th.
Two teams conducted workout for snappers this week, with the Raiders trying out Brian Khoury and Steven Wirtel and the Chargers bringing in client Harrison Elliott and Turner Bernard.
Just one snapper, Jacob Bobenmoyer (Broncos) recorded a tackle in punt coverage this week when he tallied an assisted tackle.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Twelve is below.,
Week Eleven is complete and featured the first punt return for a touchdown this season. The return happened in dramatic fashion with seconds left on the clock and allowed the Patriots to defeat the Jets.
There was a snapping change in Denver again, as Jacob Bobenmoyer returned from IR while his replacement Mitchell Fraboni took his place on IR.
Two teams conducted snapper tryouts, as the Broncos worked out Tucker Addington and the Colts brought in a trio of snappers, working out Joe Fortunato, Cole Mazza and Garrison Sanborn. None of the tryout snappers were signed.
While this weekly review usually focuses on NFL long snappers, a special shout out is owed to Vanderbilt snapper, Wesley Schelling. The Mannelly Award Watch List snapper scored a rare snapper touchdown this week after recovering a punt in the end zone.
Five snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage this week. Jon Weeks (Texans), Bobenmoyer (Broncos) and Andrew DePaola (Vikings) had solo tackles, while Cameron Cheeseman (Commanders) and Cal Adomitis (Bengals) recorded assisted tackles.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Eleven is below.
The XFL returns early next year and teams held a draft this week including a dedicated rounds for specialists. Each of the eight teams selected a long snapper, many of which have NFL experience.
Below are the snappers for each team in the order they were selected:
SAN ANTONIO: Rex Sunahara
SEATTLE: Thomas Fletcher
ORLANDO: Tommy Auger
HOUSTON: Brian Khoury
DC: Erik Lawson
ARLINGTON: Antonio Ortiz
ST LOUIS: Billy Taylor
VEGAS: Adam Higuera
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On Monday night, the Patrick Mannelly Award announced ten long snappers as the semi-finalists for the Award that recognizes the most outstanding FBS snapper. The names, shown in the graphic below, will be further narrowed to three finalists on November 28, 2022.
The Award will be presented in a live ceremony on Saturday evening December 10, 2022.
Week Ten was a quiet one for long snappers. There was another milestone, as Casey Kreiter of the Giants played in his 100th game.
After a few weeks with no long snapper tryouts, the Patriots conducted one yesterday that was just for snappers. The invited players were Tucker Addington, Turner Bernard, Thomas Fletcher, Joe Fortunato and Antonio Ortiz.
Five snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage led by Mitchell Fraboni (Broncos), who recorded a tackle and an assist. Andrew DePaola (Vikings), Luke Rhodes (Colts) and Matt Overton (Cowboys) each had solo tackles and Rick Lovato (Eagles) tallied an assisted tackle.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Ten is below.
Week Nine of the NFL season is complete and was quiet other than a controversial contact with the long snapper call in the Commanders game with the Vikings. Commanders defensive lineman John Ridgeway was called for contact with Vikings snapper Andrew DePaola on a late field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. The penalty allowed the Vikings to drain the clock down before a second successful field goal attempt.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera did not agree with the penalty call, claiming his defender only hit DePaola with his hip and not his pads or helmet. The NFL President of Officiating Walt Anderson supported the call, finding the rule protects the snapper on placement snaps and the defender cannot make forcible contact with the head and neck area of the defenseless snapper.
Three snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage this week, with Luke Rhodes (Colts) tallying a solo stop and client Liam McCullough (Falcons) and DePaola (Vikings) adding assisted tackles.
The NFL Long Snapper Chart after Week Nine is below.
Week Eight of the NFL season is complete and, for snappers, the most notable events were various game milestones.
Jon Weeks of the Texans and Morgan Cox of the Titans each played in their 200th game, while client Patrick Scales of the Bears reached the 100 game milestone. Weeks and Scales commemorated the achievement with tackles in punt coverage.
Charley Hughlett of the Browns, who would have become an unrestricted free agent after the season, signed a new four-year extension to remain in Cleveland.
Ross Reiter worked out for the Patriots with a group of punters and the Colts had a workout just for snappers that included Thomas Fletcher, Joe Fortunato and Garrison Sanborn.
Six snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage this week. Nick Moore (Ravens) and Mitchell Fraboni (Broncos) each had a tackle and an assist, while client Liam McCullough (Falcons) and Matt Overton (Cowboys) had solo stops. Weeks (Texans) and Scales (Bears) each had assisted tackles in their milestone games.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart for Week Eight is below.
Week Seven was generally quiet at the snapping position, but a false start call on the Browns late in the game against the Ravens did make headlines and draw significant attention.
With just over two minutes left in the game, the Browns lined up for a long, game-tying field goal. Before the kick, the referees threw a flag for a false start after Browns snapper Charley Hughlett was determined to have lifted the football, drawing the Ravens defense offside.
Review shows perhaps a minor movement of the ball, but the Browns have said there was no intent to draw the Ravens offsides and that Hughlett did what he does before every snap.
The Cardinals brought Turner Bernard in for a tryout earlier in the week and Kyle Nelson was released from the Rams practice squad.
Just one snapper, Josh Harris of the Chargers, recorded an assisted tackle in punt coverage.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Seven is below.
Week Six of the NFL season is complete and included the regular season debut of Mitchell Fraboni, who snapped without incident for the Broncos last night and also recorded a tackle in punt coverage.
Fraboni was in the 2018 Draft class and another example of the perseverance and dedication required to snap in the NFL. Fraboni had NFL experience with the Texans and also snapped in the USFL and Spring League.
The Broncos signed another snapper to its practice squad along with Fraboni, Joe Fortunato, who has also been knocking on the door of an NFL career. Fortunato was part of the 2016 NFL Draft class and still looking for his NFL regular season debut. Fortunato was released from the Broncos practice squad before this week’s game. He was part of a the second workout earlier in the week for the Broncos that also included Thomas Fletcher, Brian Khoury, Garrison Sanborn and Rex Sunahara.
The Rams added veteran Kyle Nelson to its practice squad before this week’s action, although Matt Orzech snapped in the game. The Cowboys waived Tucker Addington from its practice squad and will use Matt Overton to snap while Jake McQuaide remains out.
Four snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage including Fraboni’s solo tackle, along with JJ Jansen (Panthers) also tallying a solo tackle and Jack Coco (Packers) and Ross Matiscik (Jaguars) adding assisted tackles.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Six is below.
