Steelers' Special Teams Ace Miles Killebrew Believes Kickers Will Have To Do More Than They're Normally Asked

Miles Killebrew has been a stud for the Pittsburgh Steelers on special teams ever since he signed with the team in the 2021 offseason. Killebrew is a safety by trade, but has really made a name for himself on special teams, where he has made a huge impact. Killebrew was set to become a free agent this offseason, but was quickly retained by Pittsburgh.

The NFL competition committee recently made drastic changes to the kickoff. The new kickoff rules will debut in the 2024 season for a one-year trial.

"All kicking team players other than the kicker will line up with one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. Kicker cannot cross the 50-yard line until the ball touches the ground or player in the landing zone or end zone. The 10 kicking team players cannot move until the ball hits the ground or player in the landing zone or the end zone."

This differs from seasons past where the kickoff team was able to sprint downfield as soon as the ball was kicked.

"The receiving team will line up as follows: Setup Zone – a 5-yard area from the 35 to the 30-yard line where at least 9 receiving team players must line up. At least 7 players with foot on the 35-yard line (restraining line) with alignment requirements (outside numbers, numbers to hashes, and inside hashes). Players not on the restraining line must be lined up in setup zone outside the hash marks. All players in the setup zone cannot move until the kick has hit the ground or a player in the landing zone or the end zone. A maximum of 2 returners may line up in the landing zone and can move at any time prior to, or during, the kick."

There's a lot to unpack there, but that's how the kickoff alignment will look in 2024.

These rule changes were put in place to limit the violence that ensues on kickoffs. Kickoffs have featured 10 players and one kicker running full speed at 11 guys on the receiving team, which has resulted in a lot of unnecessary injuries on a play that only happens a handful of times per game. However, as a result of this rule change, we could see more kick return touchdowns and deep returns in 2024. There has been an increase in touchbacks over the past few seasons, but that percentage will more than likely go down due to the ball being placed at the 30-yard line on touchbacks. 

Killebrew understands that special teams will be more important as ever with these changes and limiting return touchdowns won't be easy. 

"It almost turns into a glorified stretch play... I think that you're gonna see a lot of explosive plays this year," said Killebrew.

The Steelers have taken initiative on using the new kickoff format to their advantage by signing Cordarrelle Patterson, who holds the NFL record with 9 kick return touchdowns in his career.

Steelers' Patterson And Entire NFL Will Adjust To New Rules

The kickoff rules affect every team in the NFL, it will just be a matter of who defends it well and who can take advantage of the big play opportunity that comes with the new rules. Patterson may also find a role as a gadget player on Arthur Smith's offense, but the hope is that he makes his biggest impact in the return game, where he can really give the Steelers an edge.

Do you think the Steelers will take advantage of the NFL's new kickoff format? Let us know in the comments below!

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