Sanders, Crossman Ready for First Look at "Dynamic Kickoff"

The Miami Dolphins will get their crack at the NFL's new kickoff rule in their preseason opener

Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders (7) warms up before a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in 2022. / Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Something will be incredibly different when the Miami Dolphins face the Atlanta Falcons in their first preseason game Friday night. The NFL’s new “Dynamic Kickoff” rules will be in effect.

The rules debuted during the Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans last week, but they’ve been on Dolphins special teams coordinator Danny Crossman’s mind all offseason.

“Have spent a ton of time obviously off the field, more time on the field than I’ve ever allocated to kickoff and kickoff return. Really have no idea, and I don’t know if we’re going to get a real good idea until we get maybe a couple weeks into the season to see what’s happening,” Crossman told reporters. “I think anybody that says they’ve got a great idea of what it’s going to look like is probably lying. If I had a great idea, and I had that information on anything else, I’d be somewhere at the track or somewhere I could place bets.”

Let’s examine the new kickoff rules and how they could affect the Dolphins this coming season.

Dynamic Kickoff Overview

Let's recap what the Dynamic Kickoff will look like this season for fans who haven’t seen the new rules yet or are unsure about specific details.

Like the old rule, kickoffs will be from the 35-yard line. However, the alignment will be one of the biggest differences. All kicking team players — other than the kicker — will line up with one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line.

The receiving team must line up at least seven players with one foot on their 35-yard line. Neither the receiving or kicking team’s players can move until the ball is touched or hits the ground, eliminating the running start the kicking team used to get.

After the new alignments, the landing zone probably will be the biggest change. The landing zone is between the receiving team’s 20-yard line, and any kick that lands inside the landing zone must be returned.

If the ball doesn’t reach the landing zone, it will be placed at the 40-yard line (the same penalty as kicking the ball out of bounds). Touchbacks will come out to the 30-yard line and any penalties enforced on the kickoff will not change the landing zone.

How This Will Affect Miami’s Kicking Game

Obviously, veteran kicker Jason Sanders will play a huge part in Miami adapting to the new rules. Like Crossman, Sanders believes teams will need time to learn, but he’s already seen some trends during training camp.

“Right now, it looks like everybody's relatively the same,” Sanders said. “Everybody is just kicking it to the goal line-ish. You know, the 30-yard line for a touchback seems a little far, so I mean if you can pin down inside the 30, every yard really matters.”

Not kicking the ball into the end zone could be a big adjustment for Sanders. Last season, 84.4 percent of Sanders’ kicks were touchbacks, the highest mark of his career. Sanders’ previous high was 71.8 during the 2021 season, so there’s a chance last year was an outlier.

Some have also raised the question of whether kickers will need to make more tackles this season. It’s a legitimate question, but it’s crucial to remember that kickers cannot cross the 50-yard line until the ball is touched.

Sanders, who has three career tackles, doesn’t seem concerned about the possibility.

“Yeah, that's definitely a thought that's been brought up is you might have to make more tackles, Sanders said. “We have a good coverage unit. If push comes to shove, we got good guys, and if they don't get them down, I'll be there. So, we'll see what happens.”

The Dolphins brought in a few players known for their strong special teams play this offseason. Linebacker Cam Brown and safety Siran Neal came over from the Giants and Bills, respectively. Both players should feature in whatever the Dolphins’ kick coverage looks like this season.

How This Will Affect Miami’s Return Game

The other side of the coin is the return game. Last season, the Dolphins relied on Braxton Berrios to return punts and kickoffs.

Berrios was an All-Pro returner with the Jets in 2021 when he averaged 30.4 yards per kickoff return and brought back a 102-yard touchdown. His numbers have dropped since then, as he posted a 24.5-yard average last season.

However, that doesn’t really quantify Berrios’ effectiveness. Among returners with at least 10 attempts, Berrios finished sixth in average return yards. The reason the kickoff rule changed was because touchbacks were so common.

Still, Berrios gave the Dolphins a reliable option despite few real opportunities. The question then becomes whether Berrios is the best choice under the new guidelines. Crossman says Miami is looking at several options.

“I think Braxton is very experienced; he’s got a lot of great production in this league, and he’s one of those guys we're looking at,” Crossman said. “How that all plays out, we still haven’t gotten to that. We’ve only had one day in pads, so there’s still a lot of guys to evaluate and look at, see what the roster ends up being, and then see what else is going on.”

Having multiple options is significant because, under the new rules, multiple players can stand in the landing zone. To be fair, teams could always have multiple returners, but with more returns expected, there’s a higher likelihood that teams could get creative with personnel and formations.

One thing is for sure: Miami doesn’t lack explosive playmakers. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright make up the NFL’s fastest group of skill players. Any of them could be a difference-maker in the return game.

The Dolphins probably don’t want to use any of their stars on kickoffs, but someone like Wright could find his way into the lineup that way, given the team’s stacked running back room.

Sixth-round pick Malik Washington could be an option. He doesn’t have the same long speed as the players mentioned above, but he’s excellent at breaking tackles and has good open-field vision. Last season, Washington returned 14 kicks for 247 yards at Virginia, including a season-long of 40 yards.

For what it’s worth, Berrios, Achane and speedy receiver Anthony Schwartz were the top three options on the team’s first depth chart released Monday.

Regardless of who the Dolphins returner is, Crossman expects the new rules to improve the game.

“It’s going to add a good, crazy, fun element to the game, Crossman said. “There’s going to be a lot of things going on. I think there’s going to be a lot of good and there’s going to be a lot of bad for everybody. I think the key to this is going to be, as the season progresses, learning, developing, so when it gets to the second half of the season and it gets crunch time, you know exactly how you want to handle things and how you need to react and adjust to how things are happening.”