Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower says that with the new kickoff rule expected to increase the number of returns, the kicker is going to have to make more tackles. And that means Hightower is casting a wide net for a potential kickoff specialist.
Although kicker Cairo Santos handled kickoffs last year, Hightower said rookie punter Tory Taylor also could handle kickoffs, and the Bears aren’t ruling out the possibility of someone at another position kicking off, the way the Chiefs have considered letting safety Justin Reid handle kickoffs this season.
“Anybody with a helmet that can kick off,” Hightower said, “is always in play.”
Hightower said all 32 special teams coaches are trying to work out the optimal strategies for their own teams, and look at how to attack opposing teams.
“The rest of the league got to figure it out,” Hightower said.
The new kickoff rule is something everyone in the NFL is trying to figure out right now, and the teams that are ready to hit the ground running in Week One will be at a big advantage.