NFL kickoffs will look a lot different in 2018 after league owners formally approved a series of rule changes Tuesday at their spring meeting in Atlanta.
The new setup is designed to greatly reduce the amount of full-speed contact between the cover and return teams and, in turn, reduce injuries.
HAISLOP: Are you sure you would miss kickoffs in the NFL?
Among the biggest changes: The covering team can't get a running start before the kick; all but three players on the return team must line up within a 15-yard "setup zone" beginning 10 yards from the spot of the kick; and all those players at midfield can't hit each other until the ball hits the ground or is caught by the receiving team.
The league's operations department released a video breakdown after the changes were approved:
Following today’s vote at the @NFL Spring League Meetings, here’s everything you need to know about the new kickoff rules for the upcoming 2018 season. The rule will be reevaluated next offseason. pic.twitter.com/YubLyMBR4g
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) May 22, 2018
Player safety has been the driving force behind these changes. As SN's Tadd Haislop wrote earlier this month:
League studies showed that concussions are five times more likely to occur on a kickoff than an offensive or defensive snap. Such an increased risk on a single play has forced the league to question whether the kickoff can survive in a sport that’s under increasing pressure to eliminate unnecessary dangers.
The kickoff has survived after much talk about its possible elimination. The changes approved Tuesday, made with substantial input by coaches, will help determine whether the play has a long-term future.
