Why Did The NFL Change Kickoff Rules? The 'Dynamic Kickoff ...

2 Aug 2024

Forbes

Topline

The NFL preseason begins Thursday night with a new look, as the Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans marks the debut of the league’s radically different “Dynamic Kickoff” rule that looks to promote more returns and reduce injury risks.

The new rules are designed to reduce injuries during kickoffs. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty ... [+] Images)

Getty Images Key Facts

The new rule, approved by NFL owners earlier this year, noticeably places defenders and tacklers closer to each other down field, a significant distance from where the kicker boots the ball from the tee.

All players on the kicking unit besides the kicker line up at the opposing team’s 40-yard line, just five to 10 yards away from the receiving team’s defenders in the “set-up zone” (between the 30- and 35-yard lines).

Kickers will continue to make kicks from their 35-yard line while the receiving team can position a maximum of two returners in the 20-yard-long “landing zone” (between the goal line and 20-yard line).

Kicks that land in the landing zone in front of the end zone must be returned, while balls that hit the landing zone and reach the end zone can also be downed for a touchback that starts a drive on the 20-yard line (kicks that reach the end zone first can be downed for a touchback to the 30-yard line, and kicks that go out of the back of the end zone will also result in a touchback that starts a drive at the 30-yard line).

Receiving team players besides the returner(s), and kicking team players (excluding the kicker), cannot move until the ball hits the ground or a player in the landing zone or end zone makes contact—though the returners are free to move prior to, or during, the kick.

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What Happens To Onside Kicks Under The New ‘dynamic Kickoff’ Rules?

Onside kicks are now limited to the fourth quarter and must be declared by the kicking team.

Did The Nfl Adopt The Xfl’s Kickoff Rules?

The new changes mirror the kickoff format used in recent years by the XFL, a minor professional football league founded by Vince McMahon and later purchased by a group involving Dwayne Johnson. The league had nearly four times more kickoff returns than the NFL in 2023, according to CBS Sports. The XFL merged with the United States Football League merged earlier this year to create the United Football League, which has its own set of kickoff rules.

Surprising Fact

The NFL recorded a 20.5% kick return rate in week one last season—the lowest return rate in a single week since at least 2000, ESPN reported.

Tangent

Starting this season, NFL players can use Guardian Caps in regular-season games. The padded cap, a soft-shell layer worn on the outside of player helmets, are planned to feature team logos on them when worn during games.

Key Background

NFL owners approved the Dynamic Kickoff rule in March in a 29-3 vote. The approval came almost a year after owners approved a rule that spotted the football at the 25-yard line even if a fair catch was called for inside the 25 during kickoffs. That rule drastically changed the effectiveness of short kicks designed to position teams close to the goal line, which upped return rates but also triggered a jump in concussions linked to kickoffs, according to ESPN. The new rule gives players significantly less space to gain speed before contact and is one of several player safety measures enacted by the NFL in recent years. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to concussions, was detected in more than 40% of athletes who died before 30, according to a JAMA Neurology study that used donated brains mostly from football players.