The NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rule is meeting its goals in the preseason by increasing the rate of kick returns and the chance of big plays, following years of rising touchbacks.
It’s still unclear if this will continue into the regular season, when coaches might focus more on avoiding risks rather than experimenting with the new rule.
The average starting position through the second full weekend of preseason games is the 28.3-yard line, up 4.4 yards from the same time last season.
This change has led to discussions that teams might choose to kick deep into the end zone during the regular season to avoid the risk of a long return, even though it means the opponent starts at the 30-yard line instead of the 28.3-yard line.
The NFL does not expect to move the touchback spot to the 35-yard line, as originally proposed by the competition committee. Instead, the spot will remain at the 30-yard line, as approved by owners for a one-year trial in March.
“It would be not likely,” Dawn Aponte, the NFL’s chief football administrative officer, said Monday. “The way that we passed this and discussed it with the competition committee as well as membership at large was really about continuing to evaluate. It is a one-year rule change, so we anticipate to evaluate this throughout the season.”
There have been some minor adjustments this summer as officials and teams discuss the rule, such as allowing the kicking team to have a 12th player on the field as a holder if the ball falls off the tee twice. This player must leave the field immediately after the kick.
Aponte mentioned that there might be other changes before the season starts but doesn’t expect any adjustments once the season begins on Sept. 5.
