Ready or not, the NFL’s new kickoffs are here for 2024. Though much of its impact, even after a preseason slate, is unknown, Miles Killebrew isn’t running away from the change. Speaking to reporters following Monday’s practice, Killebrew took an optimistic view for the first play of the season.
“Listen, I’m one of the old players who was used to taking off before the ball’s kicked from a distance,” he said via the team’s YouTube channel. “So I’ve seen all the variations. And it’s taken some getting used to. But hey, I’m a proponent for it. It’s not going anywhere. We have to embrace it and adapt, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Long gone are the days of the wedge and wedge buster. Gone is the running start Killebrew mentioned, eliminated by the league in 2018. And gone is the runway players had throughout kickoff history, the 40-yard races to be the first man downfield. Now, each side will align 5 yards apart where being able to get off a block is key, not a 40 time. All in an effort to make the game safer while increasing return frequency. Last year was a low point for kickoffs with just 587 returns, down from over 1,000 the year prior.
Beyond the aesthetic, how much the game will change is still anyone’s guess. The summer offered a preview of things to come, not showing a major difference between the old and new rules. Across 296 preseason returns, teams averaged 26.0 yards. That’s up 3 yards compared to a season ago, a sizeable increase, but there’s no guarantee that will hold. Teams will have their starting coverage units to better defend returns and part of the preseason was keeping schemes basic to gain a foundational understanding of any changes.
If returns prove to be more impactful, teams could opt to boot the ball out of the end zone and give the touchback at the 30. There were discussions to make touchbacks more punitive by placing the ball at the 35 but for this season, it’ll stay at the 30. Pittsburgh is banking on a healthy return game, agreeing to terms with free agent Cordarrelle Patterson literal minutes after the rule change was passed. The Steelers haven’t had a kick-return touchdown since 2017, a stat they’d like to change by year’s end.
