NFL Coaches React to New Kickoff Rule | 4 Downs

Secret Stars Emerging via Training Camp Battles, Haason Reddick's Best Fit, and Patrick Mahomes' New Ferrari Must Overcome Key Test

The Hall of Fame Game offered a glimpse of the biggest change to the sport itself, underrated players are showing out as training camp trudges onward, and Patrick Mahomes’ newest weapon may need to prove capable of improving in one critical area to unlock the vast potential of a more explosive Chiefs offense than ever.

All that and more inside this week’s Four Downs!

First Down: New Kickoff Rule Still a Work in Progress

The NFL (sort of) unveiled the new kickoff rule in what was (sort of) its first game of the 2024 season.

Last week’s Hall of Fame Game* between the Chicago Bears (backups) and Houston Texans (backups) was a first glimpse at the Dynamic Kickoff, that had been legislated into the league this offseason, and special teams coaches across the NFL have spent months preparing for.

However, even though there was only one touchback on eight kickoffs last Thursday night, the result of a kick out of the end zone by Cairo Santos that sent the ball to the 30-yard line, not everyone inside the league believes those will be the results we see when games start really mattering in September.

Just one touchback is already quite a change from a Super Bowl that did not see a single kickoff return.

That’s the takeaway from special teams coaches I’ve spoken to since the Hall of Fame Game.