The Chiefs have stayed one step ahead of the competition over the last half-decade and other NFL teams are already copying their adjustments to the league’s new kickoff rule.
Justin Reid leaked that Kansas City plans to have him handle kickoffs this season to get another capable tackler on the field and save Harrison Butker for field goals. It’s a sensical idea and the Chicago Bears are now employing a similar strategy.
In fact, special teams coordinator Richard Hightower declared that “anybody with a helmet can kick off.”
Richard Hightower and the Bears are seeking to find a special teams advantage in the new kickoff format.
“Imagination is going to take over,” Hightower says. via @CEmma670 pic.twitter.com/ozn8ylE0Nv
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) June 3, 2024
Every team is faced with developing a strategy for this new rule. The Chiefs were the first to consider having position players kickoff but won’t be the last. I’d expect the practice to become commonplace over the course of the season, especially if any kicker suffers an injury trying to make a tackle.
The new rules force kickoff units to wait until the ball hits the ground or a player to take off in pursuit, increasing the chances that the kicker himself will be involved with the tackle. Thus, it’s wise to have a player kicking that you feel comfortable with getting physical.
That runs contrary to the typical job description for kickers, hence the desire to find a more versatile kickoff man. Reid gives the Chiefs an advantage as a hard-hitting safety with kicking experience, though I expect more players of his ilk to get attention moving forward.
Regardless, this is just the latest example of Kansas City being a trend-setter. The rest of the NFL is trying to catch the Chiefs but this organization is making that as difficult a task as possible.
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Publish date : 2024-06-28 08:54:45
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