Josh Alper ,
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The NFL’s tweak to kickoff rules this offseason was designed to increase the number of returns, and it paid off through one week of play.
In 16 games during Week 1, 118 of 156 kickoffs were returned — a rate of 75.6 percent. Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports it was the highest rate of returns in a single week since Week 17 of the 2010 season, and the first time more than 50 percent of kicks were returned in Week 1 since that same year.
The NFL implemented the dynamic kickoff after the return rate dropped to 21.8 percent in 2023. The following season saw an 11 percent increase, aided by a rule that placed touchbacks at the 30-yard line. This offseason, owners voted to move touchbacks to the 35-yard line in hopes of discouraging deep kicks and forcing teams into less favorable field position.
Titans rookie Chimere Dike leads the league with an average of 36 yards per return, and Week 1’s results suggest he’ll have plenty of opportunities to add to that total in the weeks ahead.
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