Seattle Seahawks Special Teams Coordinator 'Pumped Up' to See New Kickoff in Action

The Seahawks will play their preseason opener in Los Angeles on Saturday, and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh is eager to see the new kickoff format up close.

Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh speaks with local media following the team's seventh OTA practice. /

Seattle Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh will put months of work to the test on Saturday when the team visits the Los Angeles Chargers for both teams’ preseason opener.

It will be the first time — for both players and coaches — the team will test out the NFL’s new kickoff format in a game situation. Harbaugh, who was the special teams coordinator at Michigan from 2019–23, will also get his first taste of doing his job at the professional level.

“We’re pumped up. It’s going to be pretty cool,” Harbaugh told reporters after practice on Tuesday. “I think the Hall of Fame game the other night was probably the most anticipated preseason viewing [because of the kickoff rules], maybe ever … that was fun to see and we’re really excited to see our guys bring what we’ve practiced to life.”

The new format lacked excitement in its first-ever appearance on national television. Of the eight kickoffs that occurred before the game was canceled due to inclement weather, two players slipped just outside the landing zone (from the goal line to the 20-yard line), one was caught in the end zone for a touchback — taken out to the 30-yard line now — and one was returned to the 31-yard line. There were also penalties on two of the plays.

While there were no big plays, there was plenty for Harbaugh to learn just by watching.

“I think the one thing that stood out more than anything else was just the speed that everything happens in terms of the first contact, the cover guy, and the return team blocking,” Harbaugh said. “You know it’s going to be fast — they’re only five yards away — but still, in the game situation with adrenaline flowing, the speed at which that occurred was still a little surprising even though you knew it was going to be fast.”

The Chicago Bears and Houston Texans seemed to deploy a few bigger bodies in the Hall of Fame game, particularly on the kick coverage team. That was an element long hypothesized since the rule change was announced as the coverage team, in particular, no longer has to run the majority of the length of the field to reach the area where the returner is receiving the ball.

Harbaugh expects there to be some change in deployable body types, but the special teams unit is still limited by the number of players per position it kept on its 53-man roster. Thus, for example, you likely couldn’t put 10 defensive linemen (plus the kicker) on the field on kick coverage without pulling from your defensive starters. That probably wouldn't be effective, regardless.

“In general, you might see one or two more guys like that per team, but I don’t think it can be all that different because it’s still the same active roster and same positions to pull from,” Harbaugh added, “so that would be our guess for now, but we’ll all find out soon enough.”

As for the players receiving the kicks, Harbaugh has plenty of ideas. A running back background could be advantageous, he said, as vision carrying the ball will be the most important trait in a returner. Quickly evaluating blocks and creases will be crucial with the increased speed of the play and the point of contact being so much more congested.

Those attributes, however, aren’t confined to current or former running backs. It’s just about finding the right combination of traits that will work, Harbaugh said, which will be a focal point during preseason reps.

Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (5) with the ball in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

“I think there are receivers who have that kind of vision,” Harbaugh said. “[Cornerback] Tre Brown is a guy who has good kick return experience and very good vision. I don’t think it precludes other positions.”

Harbaugh added they’re looking at “a bunch of different guys” as potential returners to ensure they have quality options should some prospects not make the 53-man roster.

Wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., who signed with the team in April, has experience both as a rusher and receiver and occasionally returned kicks the last two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He may be Seattle's top option.

“He’s a guy who’s practiced really well. He’s shown explosiveness with the ball in his hands and he has really good vision,” Harbaugh said of Shenault. “You use the phrase ‘natural ball carrier’ for him because he just has a knack for putting the ball where it should go. He runs with good ball security … He’s a pretty stout guy, and to have his elusiveness and vision with that size is an exciting thing. He’s a guy I’m excited to watch in the preseason.”

Dee Williams, Dee Eskridge, Dareke Young, Easop Winston Jr., Brown and Shenault all received kick return reps during the team’s training camp practice at Lumen Field on Saturday, Aug. 3, per Ari Horton of Seahawks.com, and most will likely get game reps in the preseason.

Come Saturday, Harbaugh will finally get to see how things look at full speed — a needed next step to help pare down the pool of candidates following the format shakeup.