Casey Kreiter: Denver Broncos long snapper

Not all dreams live forever. In the NFL it doesn't always work out. However, there is one position that can keep a player around longer than others. No, not backup QB. Long snapper. Snapping a football a long way is a difficult task. Do it well, and you can survive in the league.

Casey Kreiter joined the Cowboys in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Iowa. Unable to get out of training camp there, he eventually landed in Denver in 2016. He played in 10 games for the Broncos before being placed on injured reserve in December 2016.

The good

Kreiter has a good chance to make the team. He is a long snapper. As long as he can snap the ball long enough, he will be able to play in the NFL.

The good for Kreiter is that fans had little cause to even notice he was on the field during every single extra point and field goal. Brandon McManus had himself a career year thanks largely to the consistent long snap from Krieiter.

The bad

Nothing glamorous can be said about a long snapper. They play an extremely important role. Staying healthy will be key for Kreiter in 2017. Staying healthy and minimizing any botched snaps, of course.

Quotable

Last year, Kreiter spoke with Nick Groke from The Denver Post answering several nonsensical questions, but also one really good one. He was asked what kind of stress falls on the shoulders of long snapper in pressure moments like game-winning field goal attempts.

For all three of us, it is (kicker, punter, snapper). You get one chance at it. Some people are surprised when they find out what I do and they feel bad they don’t know my name. And I tell them, in my position, if you don’t know my name, that’s usually a good thing.

People back home will ask, “Do you talk to Mr. (John) Elway? Do you know him?” I just try to stay out of the light. It’s a good thing if I’m out there and nobody knows my name. It’s a little bit of stress, but there’s stress on everybody here. You just handle the position. I’ve done it long enough to understand that. You cope with it. And you use it to fuel you. It can motivate you to do your job every time.

Roster status

Seeing as how Kreiter is the only long snapper on the roster, there is a pretty good chance he makes the team.