[TwistedChief]

Originally Posted by Hog's Gone Fishin

i really don't get why we delegate a roster spot to long snapper. Why can't Creed long snap ? that extra spot could be used as a WR

Literally every year there's someone who brings this idea up.

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/4/...llege-football

The Chiefs’ backup snapper is Travis Kelce, a star tight end who works on long snaps in practice from time to time. Kelce is one of the more athletic tight ends to ever play, but the organization has little confidence in his snapping skill.

“It won’t be pretty, but they’ll have emergency ability to come in,” general manager Brett Veach explains. “So Travis does that. And every time in camp, he does great. We get to a mock game or whatever, he’s awful. So you’re gonna have to hold your breath.”

Why couldn’t an NFL team just force some player to really hone in on his long snapping and get him to the point where he’d be good enough to fire off eight or 10 snaps a game against live competition? Then, a team could save a roster spot and find some marginal advantage elsewhere.

Veach acknowledges that some tight ends or linebackers have the skill to be “kickass snappers,” but the modern workflow of an NFL team means tapping that potential would hurt them elsewhere. Teams have their specialists go off into their own world during practice, and if emergency snappers were snapping regularly, they’d lose reps at their primary positions. The league’s collective bargaining agreement also limits some practice time.

“So if you had a linebacker that did it, he would have to stay and practice,” Veach says. “He’s not gonna be able to just leave and practice snaps. So, it’s specialized, and they do their own thing. You’ve gotta have a good one.”