The NFL made dramatic changes to its kickoff rules in March with the intention of boosting the number of kickoff returns while also mitigating the risk of a high rate of significant injuries. Although it’s too early to make concrete judgments, the results from the preseason indicate that the number of kickoff returns could increase substantially this season.
In a media briefing focused on health and safety Monday, the NFL announced that the kickoff return rate through two weeks of the preseason is about 78 percent. In 2023, the kickoff return rate during the regular season was just 21.8 percent according to TruMedia.
The kickoff return rate is usually higher in the preseason as teams aim to refine their strategy and give roster hopefuls on special teams more reps, but there’s still been a notable uptick. From 2020-23, the average kickoff return rate in the preseason was only 54.7 percent.
The NFL doesn’t have injury data for kickoff returns just yet, so it’s not possible to say whether the rule has succeeded in avoiding players getting injured more frequently.
“Obviously, sample size really matters,” NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said Monday. “Nothing has jumped out so far. There haven’t been any unusual findings in the first two weeks in terms of injury rates or types of injury, but obviously that’s something that we’ll continue to track closely.”
The average kickoff return in the preseason has been 25 yards, which is up from 23 yards last season. There have been 39 kickoff returns of 30 or more yards in the preseason; there were just 97 such returns all of last season. Again, the sample size is small, but that indicates there will be more explosive plays on kickoff returns this year.
“We’ve seen a lot more kicks returned, we’ve seen some more dynamic kicks — meaning big plays — and we’ve seen a greater distribution on where drives are starting,” NFL executive vice president, player health & safety Jeff Miller said Monday.
Another major difference has been the teams’ average starting field position coming off of kickoffs. In 2023, the average starting field position for teams following kickoff returns or touchbacks was their own 25.2-yard line. In the 2024 preseason, that number is up to the team’s own 28.1-yard line.
Given touchbacks result in the ball being placed at the receiving team’s 30-yard line, that raises the question of whether teams will just settle for touchbacks in an effort to avoid giving up explosive returns. The touchback rate in the preseason is only 19 percent, which is substantially lower than the rate of 73 percent in the regular season last year, but that could change once the regular season starts.
When asked whether the NFL could alter the kickoff rule to institute a harsher penalty for touchbacks before the start of the regular season, the league left the door open.
“It is a one-year rule change, so we anticipate evaluating this throughout the season,” NFL chief football administrative officer Dawn Aponte said Monday. “As things progress through the preseason, it’s very possible that we will see some changes as we head into the regular season. We will continue to monitor it. … There’s still a lot to be seen as we head into the regular season.”
It’s rare that the NFL makes rule changes during the regular season, but Aponte didn’t completely rule out the possibility of the league tweaking its new kickoff rules.
“Our objective is always to have the rule in place as we head into the season. I never say never — there’s people above my pay grade that get to decide that — but that’s the objective,” Aponte said. “We will continue to evaluate it throughout the season. And anything that needs clarification, I think will come out as need be.”
(Photo: Jaiden Tripi / Getty Images)