A New NFL Kickoff Rule Change Is Coming For 2024

On Tuesday, during the annual league meetings in Orlando, the NFL introduced a significant change to the Kickoff rules, aiming to reduce the number of touchbacks and enhance player safety. The new Rule, inspired by the XFL’s approach, positions the majority of the kicking team’s players 25 yards ahead of the kick, with specific guidelines on their stance and movement. When asked about the new rule, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was very excited.

What is the New Kickoff Rule?

Here is the new kickoff rule that was just approved by NFL owners:

Here are the important parts of the rule (Via Pride of Detroit)

• There is now a “Kickoff Team’s Restraining Line” which forces everyone but the kicker on the kicking team to be 25 yards ahead of the kick—or the opponent’s 40-yard line on a normal kickoff from the 35-yard line. Each of those players must have their front foot on the line, the other foot on the ground, and they cannot move downfield until the kickoff is either caught or touches the ground.
• There is a “Receiving Team’s Restraining Line” which is 5 yards beyond the kickoff team’s restraining line. Their own 35-yard line on a normal kickoff. The receiving team cannot advance beyond that until the ball is received or hits the ground.
• There is a “setup zone” for the receiving team—where nine players from the receiving team must stay until the ball is received or hits the ground. That area is between the receiving team’s restraining line and 5 yards behind it. Or between the 30 and 35-yard line on normal kickoffs.
• “Normal” touchbacks result in the ball being placed at the 30-yard line
• A touchback that bounces in the “landing zone” (goal line to the 20-yard line) and goes into the end zone puts the ball at the 20-yard line

The Big Picture: Embracing the Unknown

Dan Campbell is particularly enthusiastic about the unknowns that the new rule presents, seeing it as an opportunity for coaching innovation.

“What I think has gotten a lot of people spooked a little bit is the unknown of it, and that’s what excites me,” Campbell said. “(Special teams coordinator Dave) Fipp and I already have been back there watching all these XFL clips, and you’re looking at different body types, and returners, and you’re looking at scheme. So I think that’s the unknown is what the coaching is for. You get to mess with it. You get to tinker with it. You figure out what’s the best way to do it. How do you do it? So I’m excited about it.”

“(The new rule change) gives us a chance to play special teams, you know?” Campbell said. “What happened last year, you really felt like that took a significant number of plays out of the game, and those were from special teams. You don’t really make it up anywhere else. And so just we put an emphasis on it. I believe in it.”

TL;DR (too long didn’t read)

The Bottom Line – A New Era for Lions’ Special Teams

The Detroit Lions are poised to enter the 2024 season with a renewed focus on special teams, thanks to the NFL’s new kickoff rule. Dan Campbell’s eagerness to embrace the challenge and Rod Wood’s support for the emphasis on special teams suggest that the Lions see this change as an opportunity to innovate and potentially gain a competitive edge. As the team delves into the unknown, the excitement and potential for strategic creativity are palpable.

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