Tag: Matt Overton

Dolphins add new long snapper to practice squad

The Dolphins swapped out practice squad long snappers and are turning to Tucker Addington to handle the duties.

The Miami Dolphins are signing veteran long snapper Tucker Addington to their practice squad, his agent told Aaron Wilson KPRC 2 in Houston.

Addington, 27, previously had stints with the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Washington Commanders, although he only saw regular season action with New England and Washington.

The Dolphins have had a revolving door at long snapper in recent weeks after placing fifth-year player Blake Ferguson on the non-football illness list in October. The team signed Matt Overton to the practice squad and twice elevated him to the active roster.

However, a third elevation would’ve required the Dolphins to sign Overton to the active roster and release one of their 53 players to make room. Instead, Miami swapped a new long snapper on to the practice squad by signing Addington.

Presumably, the plan will be to elevate Addington twice to avoid dedicating one of their 53 roster spots to a long snapper while the Dolphins wait for Ferguson to return.

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Dolphins cut veteran long snapper after 2 games

Matt Overton’s time with the Dolphins appears to be over after only a couple games.

The Miami Dolphins released veteran long snapper Matt Overton from their practice squad Monday, the team announced.

Overton, 39, joined the Dolphins in October after the team’s fifth-year long snapper Blake Ferguson was moved to the non-football illness list. Miami twice elevated Overton from the practice squad to make him available on game days and would’ve had to release a player from the 53-man roster to have Overton play a third time.

With Ferguson required to miss at least two more games, the Dolphins appear to have instead decided they’ll swap in a new long snapper by adding one to the practice squad, who they can elevate twice without using a roster spot.

For now, though, the Dolphins don’t have a long snapper on their active roster or practice squad.

In Overton’s two games with Miami, the Dolphins had no issues on special teams. Kicker Jason Sanders made all four of his field goal attempts and all six extra point tries, while punter Jake Bailey averaged 43 yards on three punts with one downed inside the 20.

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Dolphins elevate 2 from practice squad for Week 9 vs. Bills

The Dolphins moved Neil Farrell and Matt Overton up from the practice squad Saturday.

The Miami Dolphins elevated defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. and long snapper Matt Overton from the practice squad Saturday, making them available for a Week 9 game against the Buffalo Bills.

The same duo was elevated in Week 8 due to the absence of defensive lineman Zach Sieler and long snapper Blake Ferguson. With Sieler still out due to an orbital injury suffered in practice, and Ferguson on the non-football illness list, the Dolphins once again need the services of Farrell and Overton.

Farrell, 26, played 11 defensive snaps in the Dolphins’ 28-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but was graded by Pro Football Focus as Miami’s most ineffective player on defense.

Overton, 39, will presumably be Miami’s long snapper in Week 10, as well. But the Dolphins can only elevate a player three times before they’re required to move them to the active roster and clear an extra space for that player.

The Dolphins opted against raising an extra cornerback or tight end to provide help with Kader Kohou and Julian Hill ruled out for Sunday.

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Dolphins make long snapper swap, shelve Blake Ferguson

Blake Ferguson will miss at least four games after landing on the reserve/non-football illness list Saturday.

The Miami Dolphins placed long snapper Blake Ferguson on the reserve/non-football illness list Saturday and signed veteran long snapper Matt Overton to take his place on the roster.

The reason for Ferguson’s sudden departure from the active roster isn’t yet clear, but the fifth-year Dolphins snapper popped up on the injury report Friday with what the team called a personal issue.

Overton, 39, has bounced around the professional football ranks since first signing with the Seattle Seahawks in 2007. He didn’t play his first NFL game until five years later with the Indianapolis Colts and managed to earn Pro Bowl honors with the team in 2013. He later had stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Bears.

Assuming he’s active Sunday against the Colts, Overton will play in his first game since the 2022 season when he was a member of the Cowboys.

Ferguson was a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft and hasn’t missed a game with the Dolphins until now. He’s required to miss at least four games before he’s eligible to return to action.

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4 long snappers tried out for the Broncos on Friday

Broncos brought in long snappers Kameron Canaday, Joe Fortunato, Ryan Navarro and Matt Overton for tryouts on Friday.

The Denver Broncos brought in four long snappers for tryouts on Friday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

Kameron Canaday, Joe Fortunato, Ryan Navarro and Matt Overton worked out for the team, but as of the time of this writing, none of them have been signed. All four specialists have spent time in the NFL, with Overton owning the most experience (126 games).

Denver’s current long snapper, Jacob Bobenmoyer, has done a fine job over the last two seasons, so the Broncos are probably just looking for candidates to consider down the road in case of injury.

Bobenmoyer is the only long snapper currently on the roster, but special teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes has made it clear that he likes having competition at every position.

“For me personally, I always thought that we should have six specialists in camp, so everybody is competing and nobody says, ‘I have a job, and I’ve made it,'” Stukes said on July 30. “When you put pressure on guys, that’s when you get the best out of guys and that’s what we’re looking for.”

The Broncos’ 90-man offseason roster is full, so if the team makes any signings, they would need to make corresponding roster moves to make room on the roster.

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Chargers roster moves: 3 players released

Ahead of the mandatory roster cuts, the Chargers released three players.

Prior to signing long snapper Matt Overton, the Chargers released three players to get their roster down to 85 ahead of the mandatory roster cuts by 1 pm PT on Tuesday.

Los Angeles let go of kicker Alex Kessman, punter Lachlan Edwards and wide receiver Michael Bandy.

With Kessman gone, the competition for the starting kicker comes down to Michael Badgley and Tristan Vizcaino, while Ty Long now remains the only punter on the roster.

After the acquisition of Overton, the roster currently sits at 86 players, one more than the deadline threshold.

With Cole Mazza dealing with a shoulder injury that he sustained in the preseason opener, the plan could be to place him on the injured reserve, which would then meet the number requirement.

Or, the team could be intending to release another player by tomorrow.

Report: Chargers signing long snapper Matt Overton

The Chargers are adding another long snapper.

The Chargers added a player to the roster on Monday.

Los Angeles is signing veteran long snapper Matt Overton, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

The acquisition comes after the team’s current long snapper, Cole Mazza, suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason opener against the Rams.

Overton, 36, is in his ninth NFL season. This wouldn’t mark the first time Overton has walked through the doors of the Bolts headquarters, as he was signed in November of 2019, but was released three days later.

Most recently, he played for the Titans in 2020. Prior to that, Overton snapped for the Colts (2012-16), in which he made the Pro Bowl in 2013, and the Jaguars (2017-18).

Tennessee Titans add LS Matthew Orzech to practice squad

Orzech will serve as the Titans’ emergency long snapper

Just days after releasing him from the 53-man roster, the Tennessee Titans added long snapper Matthew Orzech to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Orzech was signed to the active roster just days after long snapper Beau Brinkley was released in November, but he never got into a game, as the Titans decided to go with long snapper Matt Overton, who was on the practice squad originally, instead.

Overton was promoted to the active roster this week, which led to the release of Orzech. Now, Orzech will serve as the emergency long snapper behind Overton for the foreseeable future.

The Titans return to the field this Sunday to take on the Cleveland Browns at Nissan Stadium.

Titans add LS Matt Overton to practice squad

The Titans added long snapper Matt Overton to the practice squad this week.

The Tennessee Titans activated long snapper Beau Brinkley from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Sunday, which comes not long after the team held tryouts with long snappers Colin Holba and Matt Overton.

The team’s Jim Wyatt announced on Monday afternoon that the team had signed the latter, which seems to be a precautionary move.

The 6-foot-1, 243-pounder has been in the league for seven years, including spending time with two teams within the division — the Indianapolis Colts and, most recently, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Overton was also a Pro Bowler back in 2013.

The Titans are set to face the Buffalo Bills at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday in Nissan Stadium.

Tennessee Titans to hold tryout with pair of long snappers

The Titans are set to look at long-snapper options from outside the organization.

With long snapper Beau Brinkley unlikely to suit up in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list last week, the Tennessee Titans are going to take a look at a pair of long snappers.

Per the league’s transactions wire, the Titans will hold tryouts with long snappers Colin Holba and Matt Overton in the days ahead. As far as experience is concerned, Overton has the edge over Holba.

Overton has seven years and 100 games of experience in the NFL, five with the Indianapolis Colts and two with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was also a Pro Bowler back in 2013.

Holba has played in just 18 games over three seasons, but he has seen the field more recently than Overton, as Holba last played in a game in 2019, while Overton hasn’t seen the field since 2018.

The Titans won’t be able to work out either player until the team is cleared to re-open their facility and both Overton and Holba clear the COVID-19 protocols for players trying out.

Head coach Mike Vrabel said that he was hopeful the team could re-open its facility on Wednesday, but first the Titans will need another round of tests to come back negative before that can happen. Those results will come in early Wednesday morning, per Vrabel.