As training camps begin for the 2024 NFL season, there are big unknowns for each team.
The NFL implemented new kickoff rules this year, which will dramatically change a play that has become stale in recent years due to safety changes.
No one, including coaches, seems to know exactly what to expect from the rule change.
“All these new rules are a huge challenge,” Jets special teams coach Brandt Boyer said. “It’s kind of a wait-and-see deal, seeing what works and what kicks are best and who’s doing it, all that stuff. I think there’s a ton of unknowns, to be honest. We’ve done nothing but study, study, study, and honestly come here almost every day trying to figure out what’s going to work best, but you never know until we strap in and start playing preseason games.”
The big storyline of the preseason begins at kickoff, when regular fans tune in to see a very different play than what they are used to.
The biggest visual difference is the formation.
The kicking team, excluding the kicker, lines up with one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line.
These players may not move until the ball touches the ground, the returner, or the end zone.
The receiving team will line up in two areas.
The warm-up area is a five-yard area from 35 yards to 30 yards long, where nine players are required to line up.
Seven players must have a foot on the 35-yard line.
These players cannot move until the kick touches the ground, the returner, or the end zone.
And then there’s the landing zone.
This is the area between the receiving team’s 20-yard line and the goal line. A team may have up to two returners in this area.
If the kick lands before entering the landing area, it is considered out of bounds and the ball is found at the 40-yard line.
A kick that lands on the landing spot must be returned.
If the ball lands in the landing zone and then enters the end zone and the receiving team catches it, the ball is found at the 20-yard line.
If the kick touches the end zone and is downed or goes behind the end zone, the ball will be placed at the 30-yard mark.
The XFL has a similar kickoff rule, and Boyer said he’s been studying film from that league “extremely.”
But he’s not sure what to expect.
“What we all have planned and what we’re trying to do all looks good on paper, but at the end of the day, nobody knows until we get to the preseason,” Boyer said.
The Jets expect this new rule to result in a dramatic increase in returns.
That’s one of the reasons they brought in veteran returner Tarik Cohen this spring.
They also drafted, but did not sign, Jake Grant.
There is some debate as to whether teams should kick line drives to returners or make the ball difficult to catch by forcing it out of the field.
There is also debate over what type of returner you want.
“It’s definitely part of the discussion, what kind of space is there going to be,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “Are we breaking arm tackles? Are we running in space? But again, there’s a lot of unknowns. There’s going to be a lot of discovery this first year. There’s going to be a lot of discovery in the first five weeks. There’s going to be a lot of discovery and a lot of thinking about where it’s going to go by the time we get out of training camp. So I want to speak for this building and say we’re all excited to see what happens.”
Special teams are often overlooked in the preseason.
This year, new beginnings will attract attention.
