Long snapper isn’t a position we tend to spend a lot of time thinking about, unless of course the guy who performs this thankless task is bad at it. And Philadelphia Eagles fans have probably spent less time worrying about long snappers than most, because Jon Dorenbos has been so darn good at it.
In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Dorenbos was the very best long snapper in the NFL in 2014. The metrics site says the two-time Pro Bowler was precise on 164 of 168 snaps last season, and frankly, somebody might want to review the four snaps that were supposedly inaccurate, because I certainly can’t recall any.
Just ask yourself, when was the last time you can remember even a mildly shaky snap on an Eagles field goal, extra point or punt? Okay, that one time Dorenbos got hurt in preseason, and Brent Celek wound up doing the long snapping the rest of the game. That was rough.
Other than that, it’s difficult to come up with an instance where this has been an issue for the Birds ever since Dorenbos took over late in 2006. Yep, he’s had the job on lockdown for the better part of nine underappreciated seasons.
Enjoy the stability while you can. While Dorenbos has two years remaining on his contract, he turns 35 in July, and head coach Chip Kelly at least flirted with the idea of replacing him already this offseason. The Eagles hosted Navy long snapper Joe Cardona for a pre-draft visit, although he ultimately wound up falling to the New England Patriots in the seventh round.
For now, Dorenbos remains a fixture in Philadelphia—he actually became the longest-tenured Eagle when the team released guard Todd Herremans and linebacker Trent Cole this offseason. Clearly, however, he won’t be around forever.
Dorenbos quietly has been one of the most reliable specialists in the NFL throughout his Eagles career, not to mention a quality person off the field. Sometimes, it’s good to recognize the role players, and long snapper is as easy a position as any in sports to take for granted.