Atlanta seems well-positioned for what promises to be a tough transition in 2024.
Every team would like to tell you that they were ready for the NFL’s new kickoff rules and are uniquely positioned to take advantage of them. As is always the case, only a handful of teams actually are in that strong position.
The Atlanta Falcons are arguably one of them. As teams brace for a rule change designed to limit injuries and juice return numbers by bringing blockers and tackles closer together, creating a more condensed play, Atlanta heads into the year with multiple quality returner options, a punter well-suited for the new kickoff specialist duties, and the kind of offensive line depth that should enable them to pave the way effectively for said returners. It’s unlikely to be perfect—like the rest of the league, the Falcons will be adjusting to this in real-time—but there’s at least a strong base to work with here.
Let’s talk a bit more about why and how the Falcons are fairly well-suited to the new change. If you need a primer on the rule changes, visit the NFL’s dedicated page.
The Falcons have compelling returner options
With the bulk of the kicking team lining up on the opposing 40 yard line, we’re no longer talking about a situation where a returner may have to nimbly dodge one player or perhaps two who have made their way swiftly downfield. We’re talking about a more congested play, one where breakaway speed still matters but vision, physicality, and evasion will become more important than ever before.
The Falcons are well-positioned in this regard because of who they have on the roster today. Avery Williams has played cornerback, wide receiver, and is now at running back, where he has plenty of practice and genuine game experience identifying open lanes. Williams is already a game-breaking punt returner who was tops in the league in punt return average back in 2022, and his electric speed and vision will give him a chance to be an impactful returner here, too.
The same can be said for Ray-Ray McCloud, who is not quite as fast but has a track record as a returner, runner, and receiver of his own. McCloud is an underrated tackle breaker and rugged player should be able to fight through trash to pick up additional yardage, and may be more of a consistent positive return option than Williams because of it, even if the big play potential is not quite there to the same degree.
Having two experienced returners who have dabbled at running back will likely matter, but the Falcons also have a pair of running backs who might be called upon to try their luck here. Bijan Robinson’s shiftiness, stellar vision, and ability to turn a lane into a superhighway make him a compelling potential option here, even if the Falcons likely won’t want to risk him on a regular basis. The prospect of Robinson getting even one or two looks per game as a kick return will likely have opposing special teams coordinators nervous, and if the Falcons want a wholly different option than Robinson, McCloud, or Williams, they can ask Tyler Allgeier to handle returns occasionally. He has limited kickoff return experience from college and brings a bruising style that could make Allgeier a fun player to get into the mix.
The fact that these players are all available and the Falcons have speedy Rondale Moore available as another potential option means they should be able to mix-and-match their way to an effective group of returners.
Bradley Pinion is a good fit for kickoffs
One of the underrated effects of the new rules is that those handling kickoffs are suddenly a safety net of sorts for returns. Teams who employ 5’9”, sub-190 pound kickers in that role are now at a bit of a disadvantage, though obviously some of those players are more capable tacklers than others.
That’s leading players like Justin Tucker to put on some weight in preparation to have to attempt tackles, as the linked article above indicates kickoff artists were be involved in about a quarter of the tackle attempts on kickoffs in the XFL operating under very similar rules. The Falcons, meanwhile, are in solid shape because of their own in-house option.
That would be Bradley Pinion, who handles kickoffs so Younghoe Koo can focus on field goals and extra points. Pinion’s value as a solid kickoff artist and punter is likely to be increased by the fact that his decent footspeed and size for the position will make him a better safety net than many teams will employ.
Only four of the 39 punters who recorded punts in 2023 weigh more than Pinion; additionally, there’s a single kicker who weighs more. At 6’5” and 225 pounds, Pinion is a decently imposing presence for a punter, and he has also never missed an NFL tackle in admittedly limited chances to make one. He stands seven inches taller and weighs about 40 more pounds than Younghoe Koo, all of which works in his favor.
Long-term, there may be a shift toward position players with quality legs handling the kickoff specialist role, with the Chiefs mulling the idea of capable safety Justin Reid handling that role in Kansas City. If that works, we may see other teams following suit, and the Falcons may well keep an eye out for players with soccer or rugby backgrounds like Reid who can handle that in the future.
But in the here and now, they do have one of the league’s bigger and bulkier punters. That means if Pinion has to make an open field tackle to save a return, we’ll feel decently optimistic he can do so. It’s also fair to hope it doesn’t come to that.
As a side note, Pinion has one more strength that may help the team: He was 13th-highest in the NFL in terms of touchback percentage a year ago, which was a bit of a nuisance when teams were getting the ball on their own 25 yard line. Now that a kick that lands in the landing zone but rolls out is set to go to to the 20 yard line and with such an emphasis on returns, it may be a competitive advantage to have a player who can consistently and effectively place his kicks.
Atlanta’s plethora of blocking options
If the Falcons don’t have unique advantages here, they certainly have strengths. Dwayne Ledford will likely be called upon to help special teams coordinator Marquice Williams figure out the best way to block for Atlanta’s returners, and the fact that the team has had a solid stable of run-blocking reserve offensive linemen will put them in a pretty good position in terms of paving the way for Williams, McCloud, and others.
The fact that the Falcons went out and signed Charlie Woerner and have John FitzPatrick available as quality blocking tight ends, in addition to the obvious value players like Tyler Allgeier and KhaDarel Hodge bring as experienced special teamers and blockers, will only help the Falcons as they try to enable successful returns. There will likely be an outsized focus this summer on stocking the bottom half of the roster on offense with linemen and position players who move well and block well with these returns in mind, and the Falcons have the options to winnow down to put them in a good position there.
The question mark: Coverage
The most drastic change here is that gunners, who traditionally are asked to fly down the field quickly to try to tackle the returner, will now have less of a running head start and more garbage of their own to get through. That means players who have traditionally excelled at this role will either have to alter their approach or potentially lose their importance.
The Falcons’ coverage units were just one weakpoint of a diminished special teams product last year, and they were overshadowed by the team’s relentless inability to return the ball effectively, as well as a relative down year for Koo. With the changes to come, the Falcons now need to tailor their coverage units on kick returns to the new challenges ahead, which should mean a renewed focus on block-shedding above all else. The balance between having enough speed to chase down the returner and enough physicality to not get caught up struggling against blockers is one every team is going to have to figure out on the fly.
For the Falcons, the additions of players with quality athleticism and defensive front experience like Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, and JD Bertrand should help them early on, while players like DeAngelo Malone who had tiny 2023 roles may be able to carve out a larger one on returns. This was a team that allowed a few too many big, ugly returns in 2023, however, and making sure they have the right players and the right plan to counter what opposing teams will cook up.
I’d expect hiccups and catastrophic failures to be somewhat of a norm for NFL teams as they adjust to the new rules, and the Falcons won’t be an exception to that rule. The biggest question is if this team can consistently be one of the better-prepared, more capable teams when it comes to both handling kickoff returns for consistent positive yardage and stopping opposing teams. With Williams one of the league’s more underrated special teams coordinator, the team’s options available to handle key roles, and the potential that they got something of an early heads up from Rich McKay’s role on the competition committee for the league (I am not accusing them of tampering! Go away, Roger Goodell!), I like Atlanta’s odds of handling this transition better than many of their NFL peers.
Let’s hear from you, though. What are you thinking about how the Falcons will handle the new kickoffs?