One of the biggest questions heading into the 2024 season is what impact the NFL’s changes to kickoffs will have on the game and we’ve heard a lot of thoughts on the topic over the course of the offseason.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel added a few more in a Thursday press conference. McDaniel said he thinks the new setup — coverage teams can’t move until a returner fields the ball or it hits the ground inside the landing zone — can be “a big needle mover in terms of yards which forecast points.”
McDaniel added that it wouldn’t surprise him to see top receivers and running backs being used as returners in order to take advantage of those opportunities.
“I think it opens up your roster because the lack of distance or the reduction of distance for the coverage teams makes it less substantial of an investment overall,” McDaniel said, via a transcript from the team. “So it may be guys that traditionally have been starters on defense or starters on offense, I think it gives you more flexibility to get starters on that unit for various reasons. Overall, it wouldn’t shock me if, shoot, every No. 1 receiver and every No. 1 running back in the league is raising their hands to return kicks Week 4.”
If teams are regularly making big plays on returns, we could see teams just opt to go for touchbacks even though offenses will now start at their 30-yard-line but that’s one of many things that will remain up in the air until teams start playing games later this year.