Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said this week that the team is considering using safety Justin Reid as their kickoff specialist this season and Reid would be more than happy to take on the role.
Based on the way the NFL’s new kickoff rules played out in the XFL, kickers play a bigger role in tackling and that makes Reid an intriguing option in Kansas City. Reid tried two extra points and kicked off seven times during a 2022 game when Harrison Butker was injured and he told reporters on Thursday that he began practicing kickoffs once the rule changed this spring.
“I’d love to,” Reid said, via KSHB. “Special teams plays a vital role in the game. In the Super Bowl, special teams was the difference between us winning and losing. It makes a humungous difference. I’m willing to do anything to help us win.”
Reid said he thinks “good things are going to happen” if he’s available as an extra tackler on kickoffs, but knows that the Chiefs will have the “ultimate confidence” he can consistently get kicks where they need to go in order to give him the job. He said he’ll “continue to stay sharp” during the break leading into training camp in hopes of landing the job come September.