Bleeding Green Nation
Philadelphia’s veteran LS is currently banged up.
The Philadelphia Eagles are signing long snapper Christian Johnstone, according to a report from Aaron Wilson.
This development is likely related to Charley Hughlett popping up on today’s training camp injury report. The 35-year-old veteran was listed as limited due to a neck injury.
Given that the Eagles play their first preseason game on Thursday night (7:30 PM versus the Cincinnati Bengals), the team is seemingly preparing for the possibility that Hughlett can’t play. If that’s the case, they’ll need someone to be able to handle long snapper duties.
Enter Johnstone, who did not get picked in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Appalachian State alumnus did get a rookie minicamp tryout with the Denver Broncos back in May. That’s his only NFL experience up until now.
The guess here is that Johnstone will be around until Hughlett is healthy again. If Hughlett’s injury was considered to be a serious issue, the Eagles probably would have signed a more experienced long snapper. On that note, two-time Eagles Super Bowl champion Rick Lovato is still a free agent.
The corresponding move to make room for Johnstone on the Eagles’ roster is currently unclear. Updates to come. UPDATE: The Eagles officially signed Johnstone and waived undrafted rookie defensive back B.J. Mayes.
