NFL’s new rule: If a kickoff returner makes a fair catch inside the 25-yard line, the ball will be placed at the 25-yard line, per a spring rule modification approved by NFL owners. It had no effect on preseason play, but that has no bearing on the regular season.
The Rams had the lone fair reception of a kickoff in Week 2 of the preseason, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
Fair catches do nothing in the evaluation of athletes, which is what the preseason is for, so that number is not a surprise. The rule is anticipated to be utilised more frequently during the regular season.
Jeff Miller, executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy for the NFL, stated last month, “I believe that clubs approach the preseason differently for their special teams.” “They want to determine whether a player has the potential to make the team as a returner, as well as what their return team and kicker look like. In this regard, I believe their approach to the preseason is strategic. However, I wouldn’t draw any significant conclusions.”
Maske reports that 38 percent of kickoffs were returned during the 2017 season, but that number is expected to drop to 31 percent this year due to the new rule.
According to Maske, special teams coaches spent more time practising squib kicks this preseason than in 2022, attempting 27 as opposed to 20. However, the average starting position following a squib kick was the 29-yard line.
The objective is to make the game safer, and if the fair catch rule achieves this, it will likely become a permanent rule.
