Even before the new kickoff rule in the NFL celebrates its premiere, another adjustment could be made just a few weeks before the start of the season. The league has not ruled this out.

Will the NFL officials throw their plans overboard again just a few weeks before the start of the season? It is not out of the question.

The new kickoff rule was only adopted in March. Since then, however, it has already been adjusted several times and the league has not completely ruled out another change before the start of the new season.

During a conference call with reporters on Monday, NFL Chief Football Administrative Officer Dawn Aponte was asked if the league was considering moving the touchback from its current location at the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line. However, the NFL official was still cautiously reserved.

“It wouldn’t be likely,” Aponte said, according to the Associated Press. “The way we passed this and discussed it with the competition committee and the entire membership was really for further evaluation. It’s a one-year rule change, so we expect to evaluate it over the course of the season. “

Although the touchback will not move, Aponte left the door wide open for other potential changes. “The way things are shaping up over the course of the preseason, it’s very possible we’ll see some changes as we go into the regular season,” Aponte was quoted as saying by The Athletic: ”We’ll continue to monitor that.”

The NFL has previously made two minor changes to the kickoff rule. First, the kicker was prohibited from placing the football on the side of the kickoff tee. Another change concerns a 12th man on the field who is allowed to hold the ball for the kicker in bad weather

New kickoff rule ensures more returns in preseason

In the first two weeks of the preseason, one aspect of the new kickoff rule has already proven its worth: There were more returns.

In total, 78 percent of all kickoffs were returned, a huge increase from last year’s preseason rate of 63 percent. The longest return so far this year has been 74 yards.

Parker Washington takes the kickoff back 74 yards!

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– NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024

However, the average starting field position is at the 28.3-yard line, and that’s apparently the reason for some concern, according to “CBS.” If returners get that far, teams could start simply kicking the ball out of the end zone to give the receiving team a touchback at the 30-yard line.

This would only cost the kicking team an average of 1.7 yards of field position, but they wouldn’t have to take the risk of allowing a long return or even a touchdown. If teams start using this touchback strategy, it would correspondingly reduce the number of kick returns.

Broncos coach Payton calls for new kickoff rule change

Moving the touchback from the 30 to the 35 would likely discourage teams from simply kicking the ball beyond the end zone. At the start of training camp, Broncos head coach Sean Payton stated that a touchback at the 35 makes much more sense than at the 30 and that the NFL should consider changing the rule.

According to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, this was actually part of the original rule proposal. Any kickoff that went beyond the end zone was supposed to have the touchback at the 35, but the NFL changed the proposal to the 30 just two days before owners were scheduled to vote on the rule in March.

NFL team owners reconvene for a meeting on Aug. 27, and if any changes are to be made to the kickoff rule before the season begins, this will likely be the last opportunity for the league to make them.