New NFL kickoff rules: What do coaches, players expect?

A wild scramble commenced on the afternoon of March 28. NFL owners had approved a fundamental overhaul of kickoffs, agreeing to implement a structure so different from tradition that competition committee chairman Rich McKay ranked it among the league's most substantial rules changes of the past 30 years.

SNIP

For nearly two decades, the NFL tried to lower the high concussion rate on kickoffs -- three to five times the typical rate of offensive plays the past decade -- by introducing rules to reduce returns. Its newest rules changes, however, are modeled after what the XFL implemented in 2020 and used again in 2023 -- an effort focused on reducing high-speed collisions rather than returns. But there are enough differences between the two versions that NFL coaches consider the XFL structure more of a rough guide than a blueprint.

The NFL softened some of the XFL's ideas, compromises to gain owners' approval. In the NFL, 10 members of the kickoff team and nine or 10 members of the return team will line up on the returning team's 40- and 35-yard lines, respectively. In the XFL, they were at the 35- and 30-yard lines, putting them closer to the returner and giving them less ground to cover.

The NFL rule allows up to two returners, creating changes in potential blocking schemes. And the XFL used more extreme rules to discourage teams from kicking the ball out of the end zone, most notably spotting touchbacks at the 40 instead of the 30 in the NFL. The XFL also lined up its kickers at their own 30, rather than the 35 in the NFL, and required everyone but the kicker and returner to stand still for three seconds if the ball hit the ground.

Full story (it's detailed): https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40647523/nfl-kickoff-rules-changes-do-coaches-players-expect

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Yeah, I get it. Take the boring out of kickoff returns while protecting against concussions. But this sure sounds complicated. And prone to provide lots of frustrating penalties.