Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik suffered a shoulder injury on his first play in the Jaguars’ preseason opener, and that led coach Doug Pederson to adjust.
Pederson called on his son, backup tight end Josh Pederson, to long snap the rest of the game, although for the most part the Jaguars avoided needing long snappers by going for it on fourth downs and going for two after all four of their touchdowns.
“Unfortunately, Ross got knocked out of the game on that first punt on the turnover, and so we were out a long snapper for the rest of the game,” Doug Pederson said. “So, a lot of fourth downs we normally wouldn’t do, and then a lot of two-point conversions that we normally wouldn’t do. It was good to see, Josh stepped in and had punt snaps and was effective, but we’ll see where Ross is at this week.”
Like many coaches’ sons, Josh Pederson has learned to long snap as a skill that can help a player make a team. He’s probably a long shot to make the Jaguars’ 53-player roster, but filling in when called upon in the preseason may bolster his chances.
