The Bears are ready to follow the NFL’s new kickoff rules and join the unconventional trend, as first reported by NBC Sports Chicago.
Typically, a kicker is in charge of kickoffs, but that may be different for NFL teams this season, including the Bears.
“Any guy with a helmet who can kick off can always make a play,” Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower told Pro Football Talk.
why?
The NFL’s new kickoff rules, which first went into effect this season, are giving teams an incentive to change their kickoff strategies.
The new kickoff format will have the kicker kick off alone at their own 35-yard line. The kicker must kick the ball into a “landing zone” that starts at the opposing team’s 20-yard line. For other plays, the players will line up at the 40-yard line and the 30-yard line, facing each other. Once the ball is caught, the players can begin their live shot.
The new rules are expected to increase returns and touchdown opportunities, leaving special teams coordinators looking for the best ways to both optimize and defend those returns.
This is where kicker selection becomes important: typically the kicker is a placeholder for the defense and rarely makes tackles as the last line of defense, and with the new rules in place it becomes even more important to stop the return team.
The Chiefs are considering having safety Justin Reed kick the ball off the ball. Reed is the defense’s last resort defender, so the Chiefs would rather have him on the kickoff than Harrison Butker as the last line of defense.
The Bears are considering doing the same thing. No decision has been made yet, but Hightower suggested kicker Cairo Santos continue taking kickoffs or rookie punter Tory Taylor take the reins. The team just needs to see if whoever they choose can consistently put the ball in the landing zone.
It’s a strange and difficult decision — and one that will likely require some trial and error — but Hightower understands the Bears are not alone in this situation.
“The rest of the league has to figure that out,” Hightower said.
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