The NFL implemented a massive change to kickoffs over the 2024 offseason, dramatically changing the way the game is played in that aspect. Every team in the league is trying to identify ways to maximize strategies within the bounds of the rule, which will be a work in progress for most for a while.
Baltimore has had a few opportunities in the preseason to experiment with the changes, and every team is looking to get as many opportunities as possible to hone in on what they need to do differently.
“It actually has been pretty fun, just watching something different and trying to come up with the best plan of what fits what we do; taking from [the UFL] game and with what those players did. What are we going to pull from it that’s going to benefit us, and just trying to figure out how to gain an advantage. I think over time, we’re going to figure those things out, but it’s fun just up there grinding it out, putting together different schemes. We had six days this Spring to kind of work [on] those things – that’s not a lot of time. [And that was with the players in] shorts and t-shirts. As the pads start to come on, we’ll start to find out a little bit more about the play.”
There will be plenty of ways teams can benefit from the league’s new kickoff rules, especially early on when most units will still learn how to defend it. The Ravens will certainly have some things up their sleeve, which should benefit them as the rule evolves and changes.
