The NFL competition committee is recommending making the dynamic kickoff rule permanent and moving touchbacks to the 35-yard line in hopes of generating even more returns.
The competition committee released several potential rule changes for 2025 on Wednesday, including an expansion of instant replay that will be considered next week at the league meetings in Palm Beach, Florida. Any rule change must be approved by 24 out of 32 team owners.
Teams submitted several proposals last week that also could be voted on at the league meetings, including banning the “tush push” and changing playoff seeding rules.
Owners approved a major change to the kickoff last year on a one-year trial basis and the committee recommended another change to increase the rate of returns without increasing the risk of injuries. The league had 332 additional returns last season with the rate increasing from a record-low 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% last season.
The committee hopes that moving the touchback on kicks that reach the end zone on the fly from the 30 to the 35 will incentivize kicking teams to opt for shorter kicks that lead to more returns with a projection that the rate of return could double.
“We think that’s a lot of motivation for people to kick the ball in play and get returns back in the game,” NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said.
The committee also proposed allowing teams to declare their intention for an onside kick at any point in the game when they are trailing instead of only in the fourth quarter and had a slight tweak in the formation in hopes of slightly increasing the recovery rate. There was no interest by any team or the committee in changing the onside kick to a fourth and long play like there had been in the past, with league executive Troy Vincent calling it too “gimmicky.”
The committee proposed a few other tweaks to how players on the return team can align before the kick but the basics will remain the same with the kicker lining up at his own 35, the 10 coverage players at the 40, and at least nine blockers lined up in the “setup zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line and up to two returners in the landing zone inside the 20.
Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air can be returned, or the receiving team can opt for a touchback, which now will be at the 35.
Only the kicker and two returners are allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20.
According to the NFL, there were 59 returns of at least 40 yards last season, the most in the league since 2016, and seven TD returns. The concussion rate fell 43% from the previous three years and there were the fewest lower-extremity strains on kick return plays since 2018.
“We ended up with an injury rate very much like a play from scrimmage,” NFL executive Jeff Miller said. “That’s what the goal was. If the rule is passed and we do end up with more returns, we would presume, without any evidence to the contrary, that the injury rate will stay similar to a run or pass play.”
Miller also added that the chance of injury with more returns on kicks would be somewhat negated by fewer punts — which have a higher injury rate than any other current play — thanks to improved field position under the new rule.
The committee also proposed an expansion of instant replay to allow replay assist to consult on-field officials to overrule objective calls such as facemask penalties, whether there was forcible contact to the head or neck area, horse-collar tackles or tripping if there was “clear and obvious” evidence that a foul didn't occur. Replay would also be able to overturn a roughing the kicker or running into the kicker penalty if video replay showed the defender made contact with the ball.
Replay assist could only wipe out a foul if it was incorrectly called but Vincent and McKay said there was no support for a penalty to be called by replay assist even though it was discussed.
“We know there’s going to be mistakes, there’s going to be human errors,” Vincent said. “Let’s fix some of those things that we can fix. But to put a flag on the field was a non-starter.”
The committee also proposed allowing two players to be designated to return from injured reserve if they are placed on IR when rosters are reduced to 53, granting playoff teams two more return from IR spots in the postseason, and using point differential as the third tiebreaker on waiver claims.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
