The Denver Broncos had one of the worst special teams units in the NFL when they hired Sean Payton in 2023, and he quickly addressed it.
Payton overhauled the club’s special teams personnel and brought in Ben Kotwica as the team’s new special teams coordinator. He also hired Mike Westhoff, an experienced special teams coach, as his assistant head coach.
Following those changes, Denver’s special teams units ranked seventh in 2023, a huge improvement from the team’s No. 25 ranking in 2022. Payton believes his staff gives the Broncos an advantage on special teams, and the NFL’s new kickoff rule set to debut in 2024 excites him.
“This one [was a rule change we were] trying to push it through,” Payton said last week. “We think it benefits us. Trust me, we’re in favor of it. We like it because we think we return kicks and cover kicks just as well as anyone. We think we coach it well.”
Under the new format, kickoff coverage players and blockers from the returning team will line up five yards apart, with two returners behind them. That will lead to fewer high-speed collisions, potentially reducing the number of injuries on kickoffs this season.
With less space between the coverage and return units, Payton said teams could use bigger-bodied players to block for returns this season. The new setup will also feature two returners instead of the traditional lone returner.
“[I]t’s a completely different play [than the old format],” Payton said in May. “The two deep backs are going to have to have good ball skills, a little bit of a shortstop, third baseman [skillset], if you will because we’re not just going to get these easy to catch high kicks anymore. We’re going to get these shots in the gaps, if you will. If it gets through our group and into the end zone, we’re on the 20-yard line. If it goes out of bounds, obviously we’re on the 40, or if it’s short. So I think it creates a unique skill set for the returners.”
Kicking teams will have a 20-yard “landing zone” to target this fall. A kick that lands between the end zone and the 20-yard line must be returned. A kick into the end zone can be downed for a touchback brought up to the 30-yard line (a kick that rolls into the end zone can be downed for a touchback brought up to the 20-yard line). If a kick does not reach the 20-yard line, the returning team will get the ball at the 40-yard line.
It’s a bit complicated that there are three different starting points based on the result of a dead kick, which is something Payton wants to see changed in the future.
“I don’t like three different starting spots,” Payton said last week. “In other words, I understand the 20-[yard line] — I like it. I get the old rule when it went out of bounds, but if it’s in the box, great. If it’s outside the box, put it in the same spot whether it’s [out over] the sideline, end zone or short.
“Because I think right now it will take a lot of fans a long time to figure out the three different spots. ‘Wait a minute, it went out of bounds, it’s on the 40-[yard line], but it went too deep or short, it’s on the 30-[yard line]?’ So reduce the variables there. Just make it a box foul.”
The different starting points aside, Payton is excited about the XFL-style kickoff in general. Kotwica is, too.
“It’s been a great process,” Kotwica said in June. “As a coach, you always want to be challenged. This is definitely a challenge on multiple levels. Not only tactically, but schematically and with personnel. It’s something that we’ve been working on, and it’s something that’s going to definitely change the game. I support it.
“It meets the demands, which increases the number of returns — that’s the intent — while reducing those long run, high-speed collisions to protect our players. It’ll be interesting. I would tell you, it’s a movement-to-contact, to use a military term. Things are going to change. It’s going to be dynamic. We’re working to be ahead of those changes and get the best results.”
The new rules should lead to more kickoffs, which should be good news for the Broncos, who have one of the NFL’s best returners in Marvin Mims.
“It’s more exciting,” Mims said this spring. “The whole purpose of them changing the rule was to get more production out of the kickoff. Kick returns are supposed to be a good play. Last year there were a lot of touchbacks [and] this year is supposed to be an actual play. It’s new to everybody, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Denver’s eager to pull out all the stops, but the most interesting kickoff strategies won’t be revealed during preseason.
“There will be some things we do in preseason that we’re — every team in this league will hold on some of the things that they want to do for Week 1,” Payton said. “I was talking to [former NFL official] Walt Anderson, he came in today. I said to him, ‘Walt, you’re not going to see in the preseason what you think. You just aren’t.’ Maybe in a joint practice you will, a closed practice or with each other.”
The Broncos will kick off preseason against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but the most interesting wrinkles won’t be unveiled until the regular season begins in September. Payton believes more touchdowns are on the way as a result of the rule change.
“I don’t know what the average touchdown — it’s been a while — but you might get a couple a year,” Payton said. “You’re going to get double-digit touchdown returns. You’re going to see a lot more plays, and I think that was the intention of the rule.”
Denver scored one touchdown on a kickoff return last year and Mims averaged 26.5 yards per return. Those numbers should go up in 2024.
“It can be an edge for us, and I expect it to be,” Payton said.
