90 Buffalo Bills players in 90 days: Long snapper Reid Ferguson

Buffalo Bills fans are a special group—a family that elevates even the most obscure players on the roster to well-known status. The long snapper, for example, is one of those guys on a team who usually blends in with the machine. If he does his job well, he’ll never be noticed, because mundane plays like punts and field goals will happen without incident. If he does his job poorly, however, he suddenly becomes the goat of the “scape” variety, not the acronym.

Do other teams have fans wearing the long snapper’s jersey at games? Perhaps Bills fans wear the long snapper’s jersey because of how successful he’s been on the field. Or maybe Buffalo’s long snapper has a popular jersey because of, well...his prowess on the grill! That has to be it. Bills fans are a mature group, so it has to be the grilling.

In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we profile the second of four specialists on the current roster.

Name: Reid Ferguson

Number: 69

Position: LS

Height/Weight: 6’2” 235 lbs

Age: 28 (29 on 3/24/2023)

Experience/Draft: 6; signed with Buffalo following the 2016 NFL Draft

College: LSU

Acquired: Signed as UDFA

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Ferguson signed a three-year extension last May, a deal that kicks in beginning this year. That contract is worth a total of $4 million, of which $675,000 is guaranteed. For the 2022 season, Ferguson carries a cap hit of $1.035 million.

2021 Recap: Ferguson was once again Buffalo’s long snapper, and he was once again perfect throughout the season. It’s not always easy to be a long snapper in conditions like those seen in Orchard Park, as the wind can play tricks on anyone at field level. Ferguson notched one tackle on the season in addition to performing his duties as long snapper.

Positional outlook: Ferguson is the only long snapper on the roster, though kicker Tyler Bass was spotted doing some long snapping at practice recently.

2022 Offseason: Ferguson is healthy and has participated in all OTAs to date.

2022 Season outlook: Unless Bass is a better snapper than he is kicker, Ferguson will end up the long snapper once again this year—and beyond. Ferguson is a great teammate who is great at his job, which is a nice thing to have for Buffalo. He’s also the leader of #GrillsMafia, and when his playing days are over, it seems like he has a future as a barbecue master. That won’t be for a while, however. Ferguson isn’t going anywhere.