Eagles remodel special teams: Adding of long snapper Charley Hughlett signals the end to the Rick Lovato era

The Eagles added to their corps of specialists on Friday, agreeing to terms with long snapper Charley Hughlett and punt and kick returner Avery Williams on one-year deals, a league source confirmed.

Additionally, the team is signing linebacker Patrick Johnson, their 2021 seventh-round pick out of Tulane who was a core special teamer for three seasons, to a yearlong contract.

Hughlett’s signing likely signals the end of his Eagles tenure for Rick Lovato, an unrestricted free agent who spent the last nine seasons in Philadelphia. In that span, the 32-year-old won two Super Bowls, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2019, and appeared in 150 games in the regular season and playoffs.

The 34-year-old Hughlett spent the last 10 regular seasons of his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns before getting cut late last month. He had played 152 games for the Browns, which ranks 15th in franchise history.

Last season, Hughlett appeared in only five games at the start of the season, spending the rest of the year on injured reserve with a ribs injury he initially suffered in the preseason.

At the time of his release, Browns general manager and former Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry called the decision “a bittersweet transaction for our organization because we hate separating from a valued and long-tenured player for our team.”

Hughlett’s 10-year tenure with the Browns was technically his second stint with the team. After he was released in 2013 by the Dallas Cowboys, the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Central Florida in 2012, the Tampa native bounced around to four different practice squads in 2014 (including three stints with the New England Patriots in a span of nine months). He landed with the Browns’ practice squad for a week in September and returned in December when he was signed to the active roster off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.

» READ MORE: Eagles long snapper Rick Lovato and his wife struggled to have a child. Thanks to IVF, he’s here.

The potential long-snapper swap comes in the wake of a shaky regular season for Jake Elliott from long range, as he missed a career-high six field-goal attempts beyond 50 yards. However, it is unclear if the operation is to blame for those struggles. Elliott rebounded in the playoffs, especially with his field goals, going 10-for-11 (1-for-2 beyond 50).

He had a flawless performance in the Super Bowl, with four made field goals and four made extra points, even though Lovato incurred two false-start penalties on a pair of field goals.

In an Instagram post, Elliott appeared to confirm that Lovato wouldn’t be returning to the Eagles, wishing his former teammate well and stating that he “can’t wait” to see where he lands.

Williams, who turns 27 in July, spent the last four years with the Atlanta Falcons primarily contributing on special teams. He missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from a torn ACL, but he resumed his career last year, returning 20 punts for 185 yards (9.3 yards per return, 0.6 yards under the league average) and 15 kicks for 408 yards (27.2 yards per return, 0.2 yards under the league average).

The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Williams was selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of Boise State. He was a cornerback and return specialist in college, earning the Jet Award in 2020 as the nation’s top return man.

Williams started out as a cornerback in his rookie season with the Falcons, but he converted to running back in his second year. In 17 games in 2022, his only action on offense in his NFL career, Williams had 22 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles are remodeling their corps of return specialists. Punt returner and wide receiver Britain Covey was a restricted free agent, but the Eagles elected not to tender him, so he is now an unrestricted free agent.

Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and running back Kenneth Gainwell, who were two of the Eagles’ kick returners, signed with the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively, in free agency.

In addition to serving as a return specialist for the Falcons, Williams also contributed on punt coverage, kick coverage, and the field goal/extra point block units. Given that various core special teamers on the 2024 Eagles will likely take on more responsibility in the offense and defense next season, including Kelee Ringo, Sydney Brown, and Will Shipley, Williams has the potential to provide wide-ranging value to Michael Clay’s group.

Johnson, 27, could provide a similarly versatile skill set on special teams. He spent the first three years of his career in Philadelphia, contributing to the Eagles’ kick coverage and return, punt coverage and return, and field goal/extra point block units.

Last season, the 6-foot-2, 248-pound Johnson was cut by the Eagles just ahead of their Week 2 game against the Atlanta Falcons. The New York Giants claimed him off waivers. He appeared in 12 games for the Giants, where he was also a special-teams fixture.

In 2023, Johnson tied for the second-most special-teams tackles on the Eagles with six, just behind Sydney Brown (seven). He also took the third-most special-teams snaps (299) on the team.

Johnson could also have an opportunity to compete for a role among the Eagles’ edge rushing corps led by Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. The unit is undergoing a transition this offseason, with Josh Sweat departing in free agency for the Arizona Cardinals and Brandon Graham mulling his future as an unrestricted free agent. The Eagles added another depth piece on Thursday, signing former Chiefs defensive end Joshua Uche to a one-year deal.

While Johnson has mostly played on special teams throughout his four-year career, he has also factored into the edge rusher rotation. He played a career-high 21% of the defensive snaps in 2022, finishing the year with 11 tackles, three quarterback hits, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.