Chiefs Considering Benching Harrison Butker As Kicker On Kickoffs Due To New Rules

Getty Image / Mario Hommes

Kickoffs in the NFL had gotten stale and boring, with kickers booming it through the end zone, or popping the ball up for fair catches with the ball being brought out to the 25-yard-line. The New NFL kickoff rules set for next year are trying to bring back the fun and excitement of the kickoff.

With the rule changes, it’s going to be imperative to have players on the field that can actually cover kicks, and there won’t be any advantage to actually booting the ball into the end zone. So, the Kansas City Chiefs are considering experimenting with safety Justin Reid as the kicker instead of Harrison Butker, giving them an extra player to cover kicks.

Here is a brief rundown of the new kickoff rules coming to the NFL, ratified in March.

• The kick will take place from kicking team’s 35-yard-line
• The other ten players on the kicking team will line up at the opposing team’s 40-yard-line
• the receiving team must have at least seven players in the “set-up zone” between their own 30 and 35-yard lines.
• There is a landing zone between the goal line and the 20-yard line that the ball must be kicked into. A max of two kick returns can be in the landing zone.
• Once the ball is kicked, the kicker cannot cross the 50-yard line, and the other players on the kicking team cannot cross the 40-yard line until the ball is touched or lands in the landing zone. The receiving team’s players in the set-up zone can also not move until then.
• If the kick sails into the end zone, the receiving team will get the ball at the 30-yard line. If the kick is touched or hits short of the landing zone, the ball is brought out to the 40-yard line.

All in all, teams are going to have to cover kicks, because way more kicks will have returns this year. Around 77% of kicks last year were touchbacks. That number will be far less.

The new rules heavily borrow from rules from the XFL.

So, having ten players that can be relied on to make a tackle as opposed to eleven players is a pretty significant disadvantage. That’s why the Chiefs are looking to use Justin Reid as a kickoff specialist, benching the controversial Harrison Butker.

Here’s what Kansas City Chiefs special teams Dave Toub had to say on Thursday.

As far as kickers, I like to have somebody that is able to make a tackle. I mean, Butkrr is able to make a tackle, but I really don’t want him making tackles all year long. You know, if you watch the XFL, we watched every play, I bet kickers were involved in probably at least 25 to 40% of the tackles, you know, either trying to make a guy bounce back or making the tackle itself, or just missing the tackle. So, you know, we don’t want Butker in that situation

This does make a lot of sense. Why play a man down on kick coverage if you can instead put a real football player out there instead of Harrison Butker? I think a lot of teams will look to do this in the next few years, and this could be an opening for some rugby or Australian rules football players to make their mark in the league.