Ravens Kicker Hitting Weight Room to Prepare For New Kickoff Format

The NFL landscape is changing dramatically in the 2024 season. The rules committee met in March and approved the league to change kickoffs to mirror what was used in the XFL. Because of this massive change, kickers are likely to be used in far more unique ways, including being leaned on to tackle more. Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker even revealed he has been in the weight room to ensure he tacks on some muscle to make these would-be tackles.

Read more: NFL News: Breakdown of Wild Proposed Kickoff Rule for 2024 Season

Tucker spoke to reporters at Ravens training camp, stating how the new NFL kickoff format will lead to changes for the kicker position. According to Tucker, “Just like a pitcher tries to develop his stuff, I’m doing the same thing out here trying to figure out whichever way we can in our minds gain an advantage, gain an edge, whether that means putting the ball in different spots, making it challenging for a returner to scoop up the ball easily. All those things we’re looking at right now, granted we are kind of in the fledgling stages of what we are trying to accomplish here, what we are trying to figure out.”

Tucker understands that this new way of kicking will add another element to special teams and kickoffs, and he is prepared to do what he must to stop the opposing team from scoring or gaining good field position.

“Like you said, we are in the lab, and, more recently, my lab has actually been the weight room,” Tucker said. “This might be really surprising to a lot of you guys and a lot of my teammates because I don’t [tend] to hang out in the weight room too frequently. But after watching a lot of these XFL plays, over the last couple years, the kicker seems to be involved in 20-25 percent of the tackles, so I’ve mixed it up a couple of times, I’ve gotten in there. But now I’ve got to get some more shrugs, get the traps going a little but you know just to make sure I’m prepared for a little more contact,” Tucker added.

Many teams have already begun to strategize how the new kickoff format will alter kickoffs, with some teams contemplating using defensive players in place of the kicker.

The new format has the kicker lining up on his own 35-yard line to kick the ball, which is not all that surprising. However, things get trickier with the placements of players on both the kicking and receiving teams. The kicking team will line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line while the receiving team will have a minimum of nine players line up on their own 30- to 35-yard line.

The new format is designed to reduce injuries of players who have to spring the length of the field. It also forces teams to return the ball far more.

Tucker is one of the most accurate and dependable kickers in the NFL, and it will be strange to see him out there trying to tackle opposing kickoff returners. However, players must do what is needed to give their team the winning edge.