How kickoffs will look different in 2024 and other rule changes coming to the NFL

The NFL will have a new look this year when it comes to kickoffs.

Owners voted this spring to overhaul the kickoff, hoping to revive a play that had little action last season after most kicks resulted in no returns while still prioritizing player safety.

Owners also approved other rule changes, including banning the use of the “swivel hip-drop” tackle that had led to several injuries and an increase in the use of instant replay.

The new rules get their first chance to be used Thursday night in the exhibition opener between Houston and Chicago in the annual Hall of Fame game.

Here’s an explanation of some of the rules that will be in place this season.

How will kickoffs look different?

Owners agreed to a one-year trial of a radical change on kickoffs with a new system that borrows heavily from what was used in the XFL spring league.

The changes were made in hopes of limiting the high-speed collisions that made kickoffs so dangerous while incentivizing more returns after a sharp rise in touchbacks in recent years.

Standard kicks will still begin from the 35 but everything else will look different.

The 10 kick coverage players will line up at the opposing 40, with five on each side of the field.

The return team will have at least nine blockers lined up in the “set-up zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line with at least seven of those players touching the 35. Up to two returners will be allowed inside the 20.

Only the kicker and two returners will be allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner 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 and possession at the 30. Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air and goes out of bounds or out of the end zone also will result in a touchback at the 30.

If a ball hits a returner or the ground before the end zone and goes into the end zone, a touchback will be at the 20 or the kick can be returned. Any kick received in the…

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Publish date : 2024-07-30 18:03:05

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