How the NY Jets can benefit from the NFL's new kickoff rules

With the NFL regular season just around the corner, fans will experience a new kickoff format when they tune into the first regular season game. Those watching the preseason have already seen this new format, which the NFL is calling the dynamic kickoff.

The new format and rules can be confusing and seem complicated, but fans should give it a chance as the early returns are promising. Let’s explore the rules, format, and how they impact the NY Jets.

The NFL's old kickoff format was dangerous and boring

Each league new year brings rule changes, some of which fans don’t even notice. Others, like the new dynamic kickoff, change the fundamentals of the game. The NFL is implementing this new rule for two reasons: promote more returns, and improve player safety.

The NFL has been in an uphill battle trying to improve player safety while maintaining the excitement associated with kickoffs. The design of the play encouraged players to hit one another at high rates of speed, resulting in helmet-to-helmet collisions with excessive force.

The NFL has sought to reduce the high-impact, high-speed injuries incurred during kickoffs. They did this by implementing rules that made it more desirable to take a touchback, such as the ability to call a fair catch anywhere and the ball would be placed at the 25-yard line. This led to a reduced number of concussions, but it also led to a reduced number of kickoff returns.

The kickoff was becoming more of a formality than an actual part of the game. And although the Dynamic kickoff may look different, it is certainly more entertaining than what we saw in 2023.

In the 2023 NFL season, 73% of kickoffs resulted in touchbacks with only four touchdowns in 272 games. This means that almost three out of four kickoffs had no real action besides the kicking.

Of those kickoffs not resulting in touchbacks, the average return was only 19.75 yards, meaning teams would be in a better starting position if they had taken the touchback. Statistically, it makes sense to take the touchback every time, leaving almost no reason to return a kick.

In the two weeks of preseason, the new dynamic kickoff has proven successful in reducing the number of touchbacks. Of the 33 games, 268 kickoffs have occurred with only 19% ending in a touchback.

The average yards per return also increased to 25.06. That is a reduction in the number of touchbacks by nearly 55%, meaning more action and potential for game-altering plays.

In terms of player safety, no team has suffered any major injuries on kickoffs. That said, it's too early to deem this a success at this point, and the NFL seems apt to wait out the 2024 season before proclaiming the dynamic kickoff a permanent fixture. It will remain on a one-year trial this season, with even more potential rule changes coming down the line.

New rules, stronger kickers, and teams embracing statistics have all led us to the kickoff of old becoming obsolete, but the NFL insists it doesn’t want to get rid of the kickoff, so it introduced a totally new format in an attempt to keep the play relevant.

New Season, New Kickoff

Taken from the XFL, the dynamic kickoff is a completely revamped kickoff system that will have fans unfamiliar with it confused and possibly frustrated.

There is now a landing zone, an area on the field from the goal line up to the 20-yard line. Any ball landing in this zone must be returned, even if the ball lands in the zone and bounces or is brought into the endzone (Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman learned this rule the hard way).

A ball received in the endzone can be downed for a touchback. A ball kicked out of the back of the endzone also results in a touchback. Any kick that falls short of the landing zone results in a dead ball penalty and the ball will be placed at the receiving team’s 40-yard line.

In addition to the new landing zone, the lineup of the players is also new. With the kicker on the kicking team’s 35-yard line (same as last year), the rest of the kicking team lines up with one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line.

The receiving team must have seven players with a foot on their 35-yard line, two returners, and the remaining two players somewhere between the 35 and 30-yard line. This area is known as the setup zone.

All players in the setup zone and on the kicking team cannot move until the ball has hit the ground, or the ball is caught or hits a player.

Lastly, an onside kick is only allowed in the fourth quarter by the losing team and must be declared to the officials. A typical onside kick formation by both teams would then occur. So no more surprise onside kicks.

NY Jets possible returners and kickers

With Brant Boyer at the helm of the special teams unit, Jets fans can expect some type of innovation throughout the season. Boyer has served as the Jets' special teams coach since 2016, surviving multiple head coaches in Todd Bowles, Adam Gase, and now Robert Saleh.

In 2022, Boyer helped the Jets complete the only successful onside kick of the year in the thrilling come-from-behind victory against the Cleveland Browns.

Under Boyer, punter Thomas Morstead and kicker Greg Zuerlein have set franchise records for their respective positions. Jets fans can rest assured that Boyer will be doing his homework and putting his players in the best position to succeed.

So far, the Jets have used four different returners up to this point in the preseason. One of the best returns came courtesy of undrafted rookie Brandon Codrington, who broke free for a 63-yard return. Out of HBCU NC Central, Codrington is trying to carve his spot out on this roster, and he made a case for himself with this return.

In 2023, the Jets’ longest kickoff return was a mere 34 yards. In two preseason games with just six total returns, Codrington’s impressive 63-yard return nearly doubled that distance, showcasing the impact of the new kickoff rules.

Third-round draft pick Malachi Corley also had a nice return, netting 33 yards on his longest of two returns. Although Corley admitted that special teams is new to him, Jets coaches are looking to utilize his unique size and speed by getting him the ball in open space. And the new dynamic kickoff allows for just that.

The Jets also used Isaiah Davis and Xazavian Valladay to return kicks. Both had one return each, so not much opportunity yet to make a name for themselves in the return game. Expect to see Isaiah Davis on the roster as a change-of-pace back, and a main contributor on special teams come Week 1.

The NFL coaches will be experimenting with novel approaches this upcoming season. The revamped format promises innovation and, ideally, thrilling outcomes.

Under Boyer’s guidance, players like Corley and Davis, along with the potential addition of Codrington, are poised to deliver electrifying plays that could alter the course of games.

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