In 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs will be starting a new kickoff specialist.
This season, six-year NFL veteran free safety Justin Reid will need to change his job title. The NFL has changed its kickoff rules, now Reid will kickoffs for the Chiefs.
Kickoffs in the NFL will look considerably different starting this season. Everyone (apart from the kicker) will start on the receiving team’s 40-yard line, as opposed to the kicking team’s own 35-yard line. Chaos will occur since they won’t be able to move until the kick returner catches the ball.
Over the past few seasons, the NFL has made an effort to tighten its regulations on kickoffs because of the numerous injuries caused by high-speed head-on collisions. Still, the regulation modifications eliminated kickoffs from the game.
The NFL decided to undertake this significant modification in 2024 in an effort to safely reinstate kickoffs. However, it has forced clubs to reconsider their kickoff strategies.
The Chiefs want to use a different man entirely, despite Baltimore Ravens All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker saying he’s been working out this summer to better prepare himself to make tackles as the team’s final line of defence (by a wide margin) on kickoffs.
Reid, a safety with seven NFL kickoff attempts in his career, stated last week on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast that he will assume full-time responsibilities this season.
In other words, he’s far more ready than the team’s placekicker Harrison Butker to make a tackle that could save a score.
“The advantage for us is that if I’m doing the job, which is what we’re planning on doing, then I can fill that last gap, so it makes it a little bit easier, and nobody needs to win two gaps,” Reid stated on the podcast. “Even though I am aware that Butker can make some tackles, I believe he is eager to protect himself. We may use him in critical scenarios in the fourth quarter, such as when we need to win the game by nailing a 60-yard field goal. Trying to start a player in the second quarter who is still hurt from trying to make a tackle would be disastrous.”
Although Reid has previously filled in as the team’s kickoff specialist, his responsibilities will increase significantly as he quickly transitions from kicking to tackling. But he’s excited about the prospect of having his career extended and eager for the task.
We could have given my career a little more time. Reid remarked, “You might’ve extended my show by a few years.” “When I’m done being the starting guy on safety, I can turn into that rotational third safety and also be a kickoff specialist.”
The only team that is known to have a defensive player take kickoffs in 2024 is the Chiefs; however, it is unclear how the other 31 teams will respond to this significant rule change.
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