Dave Toub Talks Chiefs' Punt Return Options, New NFL Kickoff Rules

This summer, training camp and the preseason are even more important for Toub and his special teams unit.

Oct 12, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs assistant head coach Dave Toub on field against the Los Angeles Chargers prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Since he's taken over as special teams coordinator, Dave Toub's position group has always been regarded as one of the best in football. Even now that he's added assistant head coach to his title with the Kansas City Chiefs, the bar remains quite high.

One of the more detail-oriented and experienced coaches in the sport, Toub's tutelage will be put to the ultimate test in 2024. Not only does he have a multitude of return options to evaluate, but he's also tasked with adjusting to a new kickoff system that could take the football world by storm.

A new set of circumstances places a greater importance on Chiefs training camp, which already carried plenty of weight to begin with. Speaking to the media following weekend practice, Toub revealed his plans for who will be doing most of the kickoffs. He isn't too sure yet about how the other end of those kicks will unfold.

"I'm excited and nervous about it, to be honest," Toub said. "We've been working on it a lot, we're going to work on it again tomorrow in practice. We work on it in walkthroughs mostly every time. But there are a lot of unknowns with it. How are teams going to attack you? What are they going to do, and what are the kickers going to do? What's going to be the philosophy, and how are they going to officiate it? We have the officials here and we're going to sit down today, in fact, and watch our tape and have those guys tell us good or bad, what we're doing. It's going to be an ongoing [thing]. These preseason games are going to be important for us."

When Toub first addressed the kickoff rule changes back in May, Chiefs on SI covered a few of the points that will be put under a microscope now more than ever.

"The new kickoff rules, which can be read in full detail here, come off as confusing to some. At a barebones level, though, players on the kicking and receiving teams will line up closer together and a landing zone is now taken into account. Crisp blocking is paramount, as is timing due to the decreased distance before a potential point of contact."

Just about everything should be – and appears to be – on the table right now for the Chiefs regarding kickoff returns. The emphasis on blocking, timing, angles and even trickery is something that cannot be understated. With some rookies entering the fold as potential core special-teamers (Toub name-dropped fourth-round safety Jaden Hicks), Toub must exercise calculated patience.

That's exactly what he's doing with the punt return job. Toub singled out several candidates for it, although he wouldn't name his preferred pick at the moment.

"Punt returner, if you watch when we warm up, I've got like 19 guys out there," Toub said. "But in reality, there are probably five [or] six guys that could do it. (Xavier) Worthy, no question, (Kadarius) Toney is in there, Mecole (Hardman), Hollywood (Brown), he's an exciting guy to think about that could do it. And the guy that's really done a good job is Nikko Remigio."

Coming out of the NFL Draft, many wrote Worthy in as a go-to option on punts. Toney has success doing it on the biggest stage, Hardman is plenty experienced doing it and Brown's athletic profile projects well for the role. Remigio seems to be gaining more and more traction by the day at camp. Heck, even Skyy Moore went unmentioned by Toub but has NFL reps as Kansas City's punt returner.

The moral of Toub's story is that things are definitely a work in progress. Not a ton is set in stone aside from who the team's starters at kicker, punter and long snapper are. There's ample reason to experiment during the preseason, adding intrigue to games that aren't always viewed as critical. While the back-to-back Super Bowl champs have a lot figured out on offense and defense, special teams is another story.

Therein lies the test for Toub and company.

Read More: Hollywood Brown Making a Profound Impact at Camp and ‘Keeps Getting Better’