New NFL kickoff rule: Falcons at Dolphins to feature 2024 rule change

The NFL saw an all-time low in kick returns in 2023, with kickers routinely blasting the ball through the endzone for a touchback. To combat this, as well as limit the risk of injury to players who are running at each other at a full sprint, the league has adopted several major rule changes that will modify how a standard kickoff looks in 2024. Friday night’s Preseason Week 1 game between the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins will give us an early look at these changes.

Dubbed the “dynamic kickoff,” the rule changes bring the coverage team and the return team into close proximity while encouraging returns by adding a “landing zone” for kicks. The kicking team will align with the kicker at his own 35-yard line, while the other 10 players will be on the opponent’s 40-yard line. The receiving team will have at least nine players lined up between their 35- and 30-yard lines, with at least seven touching the 35. Any players in the five-yard “set up zone” who are not aligned on the 35-yard line will have to be outside the hash marks down the center of the field.

The “landing zone” is the field area from the 20-yard line back to the goal line. This is where, ideally, the kicker is placing the ball when he initiates the play. If a kick lands short of the landing zone, the play is blown dead and, like a kickoff out of bounds, the ball is placed at the 40-yard line. If the ball hits in the landing zone, it must be returned, unless it rolls into the endzone, where it can be downed for a touchback at the 20-yard line. A kick that lands directly in the endzone may be returned or downed, with a downed kick being a touchback at the 30-yard line. If a kick goes out of the back of the endzone – either in the air or after touching the ground – it is also a touchback at the 30-yard line.

The receiving team may have two players in the landing zone to return the kick.

All players on the field, except the kicker and the players in the landing zone, must remain stationary until the ball either hits the ground or is touched by a returner. The kicker is limited to remaining behind the 50-yard line until the ball touches the ground or a player. The returners can move prior to and during the kick to field the ball and set up their return.

Once the ball touches the ground or is caught by a returner, the play begins like the old return, but the coverage players are not crashing into the return team’s blockers at a full sprint.

Teams trailing in the fourth quarter may declare for an onside kick attempt, with up to two attempts allowed per game. The onside kick attempts return to the previous kickoff rules, with kicking players lined up at their 35-yard line and the return team’s players lined up at the kicking team’s 45-yard line. The ball must travel 10 yards before the kicking team can make a recovery.

Some other nuances of the new kicking rule include the impacts of wind on the kickoff and penalty enforcement. If the ball falls off the tee twice due to wind or other issues, the kicker can use a holder to keep the ball upright. The kicker can use either a kicking stick or a player may hold the ball. If a player is used, he will be the 12th player on the field, with a requirement to get off the field immediately after the kick.

Penalties that occur on a scoring play will not have the option to be enforced on the kickoff anymore and will be enforced on the extra point/two-point attempt. If a penalty occurs on the attempt, it will be enforced on the kickoff, with just the ball and kicker moving. All return and coverage players remain in the same positions.

The kickoff will look odd for the first few times we see it. However, if a player can break through the coverage team’s initial rush, it could bring the return back into an actual part of the game and make for some exciting moments. How will teams adjust their return plans based on the new rules? Friday night’s game between the Falcons and Dolphins may give us an early answer.