The NFL announced a new set of rule changes for next season. When team owners got together earlier in the offseason, they approved a tweak on the kickoff rule, moving the touchback up to the 35-yard line.
While the five-yard difference may not seem like much at first, it could have significant ripple effects on teams' strategies. In fact, the Detroit Lions special teams coordinator, Dave Fipp, revealed that the team will be changing its strategy accordingly, per SB Nation's Jeremy Reisman. Fipp said that the team will be more aggressive in kickoff due to the statistical incentive.
"A year ago, the touchback went at the 30, and I think, as you guys saw at the end of the year, the average drive started at the 29.5 or something like that. So there was no real benefit–if you wanted to be average—there was really no benefit to obviously kicking the ball off and returning it. But this year, if you said the average is the 29.5 and the touchback is the (35), then obviously there’s statistically incentive."Lions STC Dave Fipp
Jake Bates May Be Lions' X-Factor in 2025 After NFL Rule Change
This aggressive scheme is certainly in line with what head coach Dan Campbell consistently preaches. The Lions have made it a top priority to push for every advantage they can get on all aspects of the field.
For this strategy to work, Jake Bates will have to step up. In his first season as an NFL kicker, Bates was impressive in his field goals and extra point attempts. Now, the coaching staff is trusting him to execute the strategic kickoffs.
Fipp admitted that they didn't want to "add a whole lot to his plate" last season, so they couldn't be as aggressive on special teams as they wanted to be. After Bates proved that he is a quality kicker, the Lions have more trust in him to put the ball in a strategically advantageous position for the special teamers.
How big of an impact the rule change will have remains to be seen, but Lions fans can rest assured that their team will do everything they can to derive an advantage from it.