“It’s unfortunate because for two solid years we got some real good stuff from him,” Coach Ron Rivera said Monday afternoon. “And unfortunately this year, it was not as consistent as it needed to be.”
The trouble Sunday started in the second quarter, when Cheeseman rolled a snap to Way deep in the Rams’ territory. After chasing it down, Way was clobbered by linebacker Troy Reeder and had to be evaluated for a back injury and possible concussion. He was cleared to return for the second half.
“I shouldn’t have put him in that position,” Cheeseman said. “I mean, plain and simple, the ball should be in his hands; he should be able to get the ball off. It’s my job to help him, whether it’s blocking or just getting the ball back there. He should never be touched.”
Cheeseman said he hesitated with one hand instead of having both timed up on his release, causing the errant snap.
Then, in the fourth quarter, after Curtis Samuel caught a touchdown pass from Jacoby Brissett to cut Los Angeles’s lead to eight points, Cheeseman sent another low snap on the extra-point attempt. Rams defensive back Cobie Durant blocked Slye’s kick, sprinting around from the offense’s right side to get his hand on the ball.
Cheeseman had two other low snaps in the game — on another punt and another extra-point attempt — but Way fielded them without issue.
“Just bad snaps; I mean, it’s as plain and simple as that,” Cheeseman said. “You practice it so much, and you expect it to go your way, but sometimes it doesn’t. And no matter how hard you try to be perfect, it isn’t always going to go that way.”
Rivera said after the game that Cheeseman’s snapping was “not good enough.”
Cheeseman, whom the Commanders traded up to select in the sixth round in 2021, was consistent for his first two years in the league. But in training camp this year, his snaps were more erratic. At the time, Way attributed the troublesome snaps to a new grip Cheeseman was trying.
“He was snapping good; he just didn’t really like his rotation,” Way said in August. “And me being the holder, I was like, ‘Yeah, man, I’d really like a perfect spiral too; that’d be nice to catch.’ And so, he’s just working on it and made that change this summer.”
The inconsistencies continued into the season, with a bad snap on a field goal in Week 1 and another that led to a missed field goal in Week 2. The Commanders hosted five long snappers for a workout days later in what Rivera described as an “information gathering” about the team’s options at the position. Three of the long snappers who tried out in September — Tucker Addington, Rex Sunahara and Bradley Robinson — are still free agents.
Rivera said Monday that the team has a “short list” of candidates to replace Cheeseman.
“I’ve been worried all year,” Cheeseman said after Sunday’s loss. “I haven’t been performing the way I’ve been wanting to. Most places, I probably wouldn’t be around still. So I’m just taking every week as it is. I’m blessed to be snapping and to have snapped today. Every day’s a job interview, and you got to perform.”
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