What's been the preseason impact of 2024 NFL rule changes? - ESPN

In the NFL's first game of the 2024 preseason, the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears combined for eight kickoffs in the annual Hall of Fame Game. Seven of them were returned and only one went for a touchback, a clear demonstration of the potential effectiveness of the league's new kickoff alignment.

With two-thirds of the preseason complete, however, a more nuanced view of the rule change has emerged. Of the 10 kickoffs in the Minnesota Vikings' Week 2 game at the Cleveland Browns, for example, six resulted in touchbacks. Only three were returned.

Preseason outcomes of any kind should always be measured against coaches' instincts to cloak strategy until the regular season. But there has been a fair amount of genuine experimentation in anticipation of a rule that has the potential to add 1,000 additional plays to the regular season and significantly change the average starting position of drives.

Let's take a closer look at what we've learned so far from teams' approach to the new alignment, as well as several other new rules and policies for the 2024 season.

Despite some game-by-game variance, the overall trend this summer has been clear. After NFL teams combined to return 22% of kickoffs and allow 73% to end in touchbacks in the 2023 regular season, here's what has happened leaguewide in the 2024 preseason:

78% of kickoffs have been returned

19% of kickoffs have ended in touchbacks.

Keep in mind that kickoffs were typically returned at higher rates in the preseason than during the regular season under the old rule. But even so, this summer's return rate is up notably from 63% at this point in 2023.

The average return has gone for 25 yards, leading to an average drive start following kickoffs at the 28.3-yard line. For