COSTA MESA — It started in middle school, about the time his teams began to punt the football on fourth down instead of going for it and when they began kicking extra points and field goals, too. Josh Harris began his career as a long snapper because, well, he was better at it than his teammates.
Harris played other positions over the years. He participated in other sports, too.
But as a long snapper, he’s as good as it gets and as reliable as the Chargers could have hoped for when they signed him last year and paired him with punter PK Scott, who doubles as the holder for kicker Cameron Dicker. Thanks to Harris, the Chargers’ special teams truly are special.
“He’s one of the best I’ve ever been around,” Chargers special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken said. “It’s a craft he’s mastered. He’s been phenomenal for us.”
It’s a simple job, one that brings Harris onto the field only a handful of times each game, but it’s also one that demands perfection on every single snap. Or, at the very least, something very close to it. After all, the only time anyone watching from the stands or on TV actually notices him is if he makes a mistake.
“Honestly, I can say it happens all the time,” Harris said of a snap that goes awry. “I’m constantly chasing that perfect snap, which is very elusive. I’m always going to be my toughest critic, the same way all these guys are going to be their toughest critics. I know I hold myself to a really high standard and when I don’t meet that standard, personally, it’s an opportunity to say, ‘I can do better.’”
It’s why Harris, 34, takes the field earlier than most, joined by Scott and Dicker. Repetition after repetition. Snap after snap. Fire the ball to Scott’s right hip for a punt, so Scott doesn’t have to do more than catch the ball, drop it and punt it. Zip the ball with the laces out, so Scott doesn’t have to spin it before holding it for Dicker.
It’s led to zero blocked punts or kicks while with the Chargers.
“Josh is the best snapper I’ve ever played with,” said Scott, a six-year NFL veteran who has played the past two seasons with the Chargers. “He’s so consistent. He’s just got a really good process. Throws a really good ball. In the locker room, he makes everything so light. He’s been such a big help for me.”
Success has kept Harris on the job for 180 games in the NFL, including the past 24 with the Chargers after 10 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Harris was even selected for the Pro Bowl for the first time in the 2021 season while with the Falcons, when he made a career-high seven tackles.
Did we mention he tackles opponents on occasion?
Harris has two tackles this season, including a takedown of Kearis Jackson of the Tennessee Titans during overtime of the Chargers’ 27-24 loss on Sept. 17. Jackson returned Scott’s 47-yard punt 11 yards before Harris sent him crashing to the artificial turf at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
“First and foremost, the guys on the punt team are all incredible athletes,” Harris said. “So, watching those guys go and do their job is a lot of fun. When the opportunity does present itself and I’m down there, I like to be able to contribute in the coverage game, as well. It’s not my only responsibility. It starts with the snap and then protection, but then it’s running. Run as fast as you can down there.”
Harris played many other positions while growing up in Carrollton, Georgia, including quarterback. He eventually shifted to defense while in high school. He also wrestled and played on the baseball team. He received zero scholarship offers and walked on to the team at Auburn University in 2008.
After winning the job as the Tigers’ long snapper, he found himself in a familiar position. He was undrafted but signed with the Falcons as a free agent in 2012. He played 156 games over the next 10 seasons with Atlanta before the Chargers signed him as a free agent on March 17, 2022.
He departed for Southern California as something of a local legend. Each season a bar in Auburn, Alabama, hosted a fantasy football league in which teams were selected in the usual fashion, but with one unusual condition. Someone had to pick and keep Harris on their active roster.
“One time, I got a tackle in a Monday night game and I was the only guy playing for this guy’s (fantasy) team, and maybe that one point, I don’t know if it got him the win, but they told me it did,” Harris said, laughing at the retelling. “My phone was blowing up after the game. That might be my only claim to fame.”
