Special Teams Coach Explains New Kickoff Rule, NFL Draft QB Chaos Looms | MAILBAG

Answering your questions after a frenetic week of news and changes during the NFL Annual Meeting

Image via USATODAY Sports

There is no lul in the NFL calendar, and as the league’s Annual Meeting took center stage this week, major changes are on the way, both on the field and for several teams vying for the quarterbacks they hope will become the faces of their franchise for the next decade.

Between banning the hip-drop tackle, which drew the ire of players around the league, and a brand new kickoff — more below, with insight from a current special teams coach, get ready for the dreaded “point of emphasis” this season from officials eager to toss their flags amid changing rules.

Likewise, as the NFL Draft nears, it is the quarterbacks that are under the microscope, and the teams looking to trade up into the top five to select them are coming into focus.

Without further adieu, here is this week’s mailbag, with insight from my sources around the NFL:

Q: Can you explain the new NFL kickoff rule?

The NFL is essentially adopting the XFL’s kickoff beginning in the 2024 season.

The League’s reasoning for such a dramatic change is twofold; a continued effort to reduce injuries suffered on kickoffs and to inject new life into a play that had become irrelevant in recent seasons.

Kickers will still kick from their own 35-yard line, but the rest of the coverage team will line up at the opponent’s 40, while the return team starts between the 30 and 35-yard lines.

The hope is that kickers will kick the ball into the “landing zone,” between the 20-yard line and the goal line.

Under the new rules, the coverage team is not allowed to charge downfield until the ball lands or is caught by the returner. Meanwhile, if the ball goes into or out of the back of the end zone, it is a touchback. But, now the ball comes out to the 30-yard line.

“I believe it’s going to add approximately 100 plays for kickoff teams that they didn’t have last year,” Denver Broncos special teams coach Mike Westhoff told me by phone shortly after the new rule was announced. “Because they had been touchbacks."