NFL Says Dynamic Kickoff Rule Change Produced 57% Increase in Returns This Season

The NFL got the results it hoped for from the dynamic kickoff rules.

NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller told reporters on Wednesday the rule change resulted in a 57 percent increase in kickoff returns this season compared to 2023.

Miller also cited average starting field position improving by several yards, lower injury rates on returns and more return touchdowns.

After the NFL saw the lowest rate of kickoff returns in history during the 2023 season (22 percent), the league took steps to address the issue to make sure the play wasn't being treated as a break in the action.

The dynamic kickoff was modeled after the XFL rule featuring the coverage unit lined up on the return side at the 35-yard line and the return team lined up at the 30-yard line, with some minor adjustments to make it stand on its own.

While Miller didn't offer more specific stats about how the dynamic kickoff improved things, there are some public numbers that show how different things were in the regular season compared to 2023.

Per the NFL's operations website, there were 332 more returns this season with 59 resulting in big plays—returns of at least 40 yards—most in the league since 2016.

The Houston Texans and Washington Commanders were the most aggressive teams kicking into the landing zone, doing so 60 percent of the time.

There were seven kickoff return touchdowns in the regular season, compared to four in 2023. The seven return scores were the most in the NFL since the 2021 season (nine).

Exact injury data for the dynamic kickoff hasn't been made public at this point. The league reported only one concussion on the play through the first six weeks of the season. There were eight total concussions on kickoff plays during the 2023 season.