As training camps begin for the 2024 NFL season, there are many unknowns surrounding each team.
The NFL is set to implement new kickoff rules this year, dramatically changing a play that has become outdated in recent years with safety-conscious changes.
No one, including the coaches, seems quite sure what to expect from this rule change.
“It’s a big challenge with all the new rules,” Jets special teams coach Brant Boyer said. “It’s kind of a wait-and-see thing. We’ll see what fits, what works, what’s the best kick, who’s going to do it, all that stuff. I think there are just so many unknowns, to be honest with you. We’ve done a lot of research and research and research and been here pretty much every day trying to figure out what works best, but nobody really knows until we tighten the belt and start playing preseason games.”
This kickoff will be a big talking point of the preseason as casual fans tune in to see a completely different game than they’re used to seeing.
The biggest difference in appearance is the formation.
Each member of the kicking team, excluding the kicker, lines up with one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line.
These players cannot move until the ball hits the ground, a returner, or the end zone.
The receiving team lines up in two zones.
The set-up zone is a five-yard area from 35 yards to 30 yards where nine players must line up in a line.
Seven players must have a foot on the 35-yard line.
These players cannot move until the ball they kick hits the ground, a returner, or the end zone.
Then there’s the landing zone.
This is the area between the receiving team’s 20-yard line and the goal line. Teams may have up to two returners in this area.
Any kick that lands before the landing zone is treated as an out-of-bounds kickoff and the ball is located on the 40-yard line.
Any kick that lands in the landing zone must be returned.
If the ball lands in the landing zone and then goes into the end zone and the receiving team downs it, the ball will be spotted at the 20-yard line.
If the kicked ball hits the end zone and is downed or goes out the back of the end zone, the ball will be spotted at the 30-yard line.
The XFL has a similar kickoff rule, and Boyer said he has studied a “ton of” footage from the league.
Still, he doesn’t know what’s going to happen.
“What we’re planning and what we’re trying to do looks good on paper, but at the end of the day, nobody knows until preseason starts, and that’s the truth,” Boyer said.
The Jets expect the number of returns to increase dramatically with the new rule.
That’s one of the reasons they signed veteran returner Tarik Cohen this spring.
They also invited Jaquem Grant to try out but did not sign him.
There is debate over whether teams should kick line drives to returners or try to skip them on the ground to make the ball harder to catch.
There is also some debate about what specific type of returner is desirable.
“What kind of space is there and all that, that’s certainly part of the discussion,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “Are you breaking arm tackles? Are you running through space? But again, there’s a lot of unknowns. There’s going to be a lot of discoveries in this first year. There’s going to be a lot of discoveries in the first five weeks. By the time we leave training camp, there’s going to be a lot of discoveries and we’ll have an idea of the direction it’s going to go in. So, I think on behalf of this building, we’re all excited to see what happens.”
Special teams can often be overlooked in the preseason.
This year, a new kickoff will be at the center.
