Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Commanders Special Teams Snap Issue 'Has to Stop'

Originally posted on FanNation Washington Football
By David Harrison | Last updated 9/23/23

The Washington Commanders are off to a 2-0 start, but that perfect record is not reflective of perfect performance.

Something that plagued the Commanders in training camp, the preseason, and at critical times in their first two wins, have been inaccurate or bad snaps from long-snapper Camaron Cheeseman.

A particularly bad snap against the Denver Broncos cost Washington a chance to start the game with an opening drive field goal after it led to a miss by kicker Joey Slye.

That, along with the other issues, led the team to bring in specialists this past week for workouts as they collect information on potential replacements down the road.

For now, however, Cheeseman is still the man sending the ball back to punter Tress Way on kicks and punts.

"When someone's had two really good years for us that obviously factors in...there's still a good level of trust there," special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor said about Cheeseman and his struggles. "But it has to stop...We've worked a lot of different angles on this, and he's continued to have good practices. Another thing that's interesting that helps you stay the course is he bounced back."

To Kaczor's point, after one especially bead snap in Denver Cheeseman and the kicking operation was successful on five others, and on Slye's second missed field goal that day it didn't appear the snap was a contributing factor.

Questions about Cheeseman's performance came up as early as training camp when it was noticed that several snaps were coming out less than ideal.

At the time, Way told media his long-snapper was working on a new grip and called year three for specialists, "a little funky."

But Kaczor clarified that it's not that Cheeseman was working on something new, rather he was working through some of those year-three hiccups.

"I know that that was kind of going around like he's changing something," Kaczor said. "He was working through something, not on something...We were having some struggles at that time so he was working on things not changing anything."

What the coordinator is hoping does change is the performance of his special teams functions, even if it is just the first one.

In a matchup with the Buffalo Bills this weekend it's hard to imagine the Commanders securing an upset win if the exchange from long-snapper to holder isn't cleaned up before then.

And with bad weather expected at FedEx Field Sunday the pressure and the elements are not going to be doing Cheeseman any favors.