The NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rule: What to know before the regular season starts

(NEXSTAR) – Scrambling to make sense of the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rule?

So are some of the pros.

The new kickoff format, which goes into effect this season, was already on display during last week’s preseason games. And if those games were any indication, the NFL’s new rules will likely result in more kickoff returns and bigger plays — once everybody on the field has the rules down, of course.

Perhaps as expected, the new format caused some confusion among players during its initial implementation, which resulted in a safety ruled against a Kansas City Chiefs receiver and a penalty against the San Francisco 49ers.

The new rules work like this: For a standard kickoff, the ball is kicked from the 35-yard line with 10 kick coverage players lined up at the opposing team’s 40-yard line. The return team will have at least nine blockers lined up in the “set up zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line, cutting down on high-speed collisions.

Only the kicker and two returners are allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20. The kicker, however, cannot move past the 50-yard line before the ball touches the player or the ground.

If the kick goes out of bounds or is short of the “landing zone” — i.e., the receiving team’s goal line and 20-yard line — the play is dead and the ball goes to the receiving team’s 40-yard line, per the NFL. Balls that fall within the landing zone must be returned, while a ball that lands in the landing zone and bounces into the end zone — or simply lands in the end zone — can be downed for a touchback at the 20-yard line.

The idea, according to the NFL, is to give teams additional incentives to start returning the ball.

So far, it appears to be working. The NFL reported 81% of kicks have been returned so far this preseason, compared to 65% of kicks returned during last year’s preseason. (During last year’s regular season, there was a record-low level of returns, at just 21.8%. The current rate of returns during this year’s preseason is expected to fall once coaches settle on their regular-season strategies.)

“You’ve seen everybody pretty much be vanilla in the preseason with the kickoff and how they’re attacking on kickoff return,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said.

There have only been a few major hiccups, too. The biggest, perhaps, came during Saturday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, when receiver Mercole Hardman attempted to down the ball in the end zone after it bounced into the field of play. It was originally ruled a touchback, but upon review, the call was changed to a safety. The Raiders and the Vikings also initially lined up on the wrong yard lines during the opening kickoff of Saturday’s game.

Another penalty came after Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, inadvertently blocked an official during a kickoff return. Shanahan, who was looking at a tablet rather than the field, said he had “expect[ed] a break” during the kickoff, apparently having become accustomed to the play ending in a touchback.

But speaking of returns, there were two major plays during Saturdays preseason games: Jacksonville’s Parker Washington returned a kick 73 yards against Kansas City, and Tennessee’s Kearis Jackson returned 63 yards against San Francisco.

League officials are hoping the new format results in much more of this. Players, too, are having some fun themselves.

“I thought I was supposed to be tackled a long time ago in [my return], but it was exciting to be able to make a play like that. It was cool,” said Parker Washington. “It gave us confidence to be like, ‘OK, these kick returns are real and it’s going to be an exciting year.’”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.