With the brand new NFL kickoff rule set to be in place in 2024, the Atlanta Falcons and special teams coordinator Marquice Williams will have plenty of options on which player will receive kicks for their team.
Earlier in the offseason, NFL owners approved of a new kickoff rule. This new rule will still have the ball kicked at the team’s 35-yard line, with every other special teams player now lined up at their own 40-yard line. The returning team will have nine players lined up in a “setup zone” on their own 35-yard line across the field. In the “landing zone” between the goal line and the 20-yard line, there can be no more than two returners.
With this new rule in mind, we will look at up to four players who could receive kicks for the Falcons.
Ray-Ray McCloud
New addition to the team this offseason, McCloud has been a solid kick returner since coming into the league in 2018, where he was a sixth-round draft pick for the Buffalo Bills. During his most recent season in 2023 with the San Francisco 49ers, McCloud played 12 total games, returning ten kicks for 225 yards in that span. In his six-year career, McCloud has returned 108 kicks for 2,438 yards across 77 total games, according to nfl.com. Atlanta could look to McCloud to be their primary kick returner in 2024.
Avery Williams
A familiar face to the Atlanta return game. Williams unfortunately missed the entire 2023 season with an ACL injury he suffered in the offseason last summer. Before his injury, Williams led the league in yards per punt return with an average of 16.2 yards. With kick returns, however, Williams returned 16 kicks for 313 yards with an average of 19.6 yards per return, as listed by foxsports.com. Williams looks poised to return to the field for Atlanta in 2024, and the team could choose to slot him right back into the return game.
Dee Alford
A primary starter in Atlanta’s secondary last season alongside A.J. Terrell and others, Alford saw his role expand beyond the secondary when he was involved in the return game during the 2023 season, specializing in punt returns. Alford returned 20 punts for 160 yards across 16 games, per espn.com. While Alford did not return kickoffs last season, he may see some opportunities in the 2024 season.
Rondale Moore
Acquired by the Falcons earlier this offseason when the team traded QB Desmond Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals. Moore has not received kicks since the 2021 season with the Cardinals. In that season, Moore returned 13 kicks for 291 yards across 14 games, as mentioned by foxsports.com. He most recently returned punts in the 2023 season, returning only one punt for 11 yards. Moore is known for his impressive speed, running a 4.32 40-yard dash during the 2021 draft combine. Moore’s speed could be relied upon, not only in the receiving game, but in the return game as well.
All four players could see work in the return game in 2024. The team will begin training camp in late July, where this question could see an answer.
