![Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Davon Hamilton (52) enters the field before the start of the game against the Buffalo Bills at an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_61,w_1741,h_979/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/55/01m4rfrzn7ps4f1e7epz.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Davon Hamilton (52) enters the field before the start of the game against the Buffalo Bills at an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
Well, I told you the Jacksonville Jaguars were in for an ugly one against the Philadelphia Eagles. They escaped with a 19-17 win after a heroic effort from their special teams, but the game didn't need to be as close as it was.
If you haven't heard yet, defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton had to fill in for Ross Matiscik at long snapper after the latter got hurt in the first quarter. Hamilton performed valiantly after being put in a tough position and even snapped the ball on a game-winning 57-yard field goal as time expired.
I'm not going to nitpick Hamilton's bad snaps on every field goal and extra point attempt, but I will say that Logan Cooke put on a holding clinic for all 60 minutes. The Mississippi State alum caught all of Hamilton's deep snaps in the punting game as well.
We often overlook just how important long snapping is to an NFL operation. Without it, you can't flip the field position or take the points in a tight game like the one this weekend. Luckily, Jacksonville's starting defensive tackle was ready to answer the call when the time came.
DaVon Hamilton's stint as the Jaguars long snapper may already be over
Unfortunately, it looks like the fun is already over. Despite knocking the rust off on the biggest stage imaginable, Hamilton's chances of starting at long snapper against the Houston Texans just took a big hit.
During a recent meeting with reporters, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said that Jacksonville'sbringing in a new long snapper despite being overseas and technically having two on the roster.
The move confirms that the flow of the game may have been impacted by the risk of a wild snap causing a costly fumble or turnover. If Coen were more confident in the kicking operation, he wouldn't have needed a miracle to avoid the media taking a deeper look at his red-zone play-calling.
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The Jaguars should have had a real backup plan in place
Stepping in like Hamilton did is one of the hardest assignments in the entire sport. In a perfect world, the front office would have recognized that this isn't the first time they've had a scare with Matiscik's health and the snapping situation.
In most cases, a linebacker or tight end is the emergency long snapper on the depth chart. This often works out since multiple athletes at these spots are either playing special teams on the active roster or learning the playbook on the practice squad.
At the moment, the Jags only have one tight end on the practice squad and zero linebackers. Malpractice is a strong word, but Sunday's game literally came down to a hulking nose tackle having to snap for a 57-yarder after the coaching staff repeatedly chose against taking the points because they were worried about the same snapper's chances of keeping the ball down.
We've all talked ad nauseam about James Gladstone's passion for elevating the floor, but not stashing at least one tight end or linebacker who's snapped at the collegiate level is egregious.
With roster spots being so valuable this season, we'll have to hope that the new specialist will be able to mesh with Logan Cooke and Cam Little as quickly as possible. If not, No. 52 will have to jog out to save the day again.
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