Replacing Jon Dorenbos with Rick Lovato wasn't a snap decision for Eagles

Rick Lovato said his objective this training camp was to "keep my head down, do my job, not try to be noticeable, or anything like that."

Keeping one's head down is something of a must in the long-snapping business; alternate approaches are rarely successful. But Lovato was not speaking literally, he was referring to the way he felt he had to handle competing with Jon Dorenbos, the longest-tenured Eagle and one of the most popular members of the team, in and out of the locker room.

The Eagles traded Dorenbos to the New Orleans Saints Monday for a 2019 seventh-round pick, unleashing a shocked reaction from a fan base that had never before taken much interest in how the ball got back to the punter or the holder for field goals and extra points. Dorenbos became part of the fabric of the area thanks to his charity work and his world-class magic act, which took him to the finals of "America's Got Talent" last year.

While granting Dorenbos due deference this spring and summer, and working exclusively with backup punter and holder Cam Johnston, Lovato still wasn't thinking he was here just for fun.

[Dorenbos latest special teams player to go]

"I really hold myself to a high standard. I wanted to win this job overall. I felt like I did that," Lovato said.

Lovato said when he spoke to special-teams coordinator Dave Fipp on Tuesday, "he really, truly believed I deserved this job."

Lovato, who turns 25 on Sept. 9, the day before the Eagles open their season at Washington, replaced Dorenbos for the final three games of last season after Dorenbos dislocated a wrist bone covering a punt. Lovato previously snapped for the Redskins and the Packers in brief injury-replacement roles.

Given how solidly Dorenbos seemed to be entrenched – he'd held the job since arriving as an injury replacement for Mike Bartrum in November 2006 — it seemed a little odd when the organization opted to keep Lovato around after the season. But it's a 90-man roster until Sept. 2; maybe they were afraid Dorenbos would get hurt again, at age 37.

One reason Lovato stayed, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Tuesday, was that Dorenbos wasn't completely healed in the spring; they still needed Lovato. But the longer an injury replacement stays, the more permanent he starts to look.

"It just gave Rick an opportunity to compete," Pederson said."Competition makes everybody better. At the end of the day, [we] felt like he was in a good position to help our football team."

Another source close to the situation said that although Dorenbos recovered full motion in his wrist, coaches felt his performance over the past few years was not up to his previous standard; the Eagles had considered embarking upon the post-Dorenbos era for a while.

Pederson said he spoke with Dorenbos Monday night.

"We talked and kind of reminisced a little bit … I just told him how much I appreciated him, how much I loved him, and what he's done for not only this organization but this city, and wished him well," Pederson said.

"I'm not necessarily trying to fill his shoes because he did such a good job here, and honestly, there's no taking anything away from him," Lovato said. "He really was such a big part of this city, this organization, what he did in this locker room. I felt that the moment I met him, when I came in here last year … I just want to come in here and do my job and help this team win."

Add one more thing to watch Thursday night in the preseason finale vs. the Jets: Lovato expects to be working with incumbent punter/holder Donnie Jones for the first time since last season.

"I've been around him and watched the rhythm" of the operation, Lovato said. "There's not a huge difference," though Jones is lefthanded and Johnston is righthanded.

Of course, it's always possible the Eagles plan to get rid of Jones as well and go with Johnston, the rookie from Ohio State and Australia. With Dorenbos gone, Jones is now the oldest player on the team, having turned 37 in July.

Jones has been here since 2013 and is the top punter in franchise history in terms of gross and net. But according to Spotrac.com, now that it's after June 1, the Eagles could save $750,000 in 2017 cap space by releasing Jones, who would carry a $625,000 dead-cap charge against the $1.375 million cap number for keeping him.

Through three preseason games, Jones has punted nine times, with a 43.3-yard gross and a 31.7-yard net, the latter figure distorted by the touchdown return the Eagles gave up at Green Bay. He has placed four punts inside the 20. Johnston has a 44.3-yard gross, and a 43.1-yard net, but he hasn't placed any inside the 20.

"I just feel really comfortable in Philly," said Lovato, who grew up in Middletown, N.J., before playing at Old Dominion. "It's something that I just always felt, being here, that I was here for a reason."

When the Eagles signed him last year, Lovato had been working at Joyce's Subs and Pizza, the place his father and uncle owned in Lincroft, N.J.,  about 80 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Lovato said Tuesday that his relatives sold the shop back in the spring; he no longer has that job to fall back on.

"It's good that this job is mine," he said. "They both wanted to move on."

We don't know if Dorenbos wanted to move on. Probably not, given his strong connections here. But defensive end Brandon Graham said he was glad Dorenbos was traded to a team that wanted him, instead of being released in the cutdown to 53 that must be completed by 4 p.m. Saturday.

Special-teams ace Chris Maragos said he spoke with Dorenbos after the trade.

"At the end of the day, we signed up for this. We know how it goes," Maragos said. "At some point, we're all not going to be here forever, and he realizes that … Is it difficult to part ways, and things like that? For sure. But he's excited about his opportunity in New Orleans, and we're really happy with Rick and what he's been able to do. [Lovato is] a tremendous guy, really good player, really talented."