Last week, the NFL announced new kickoff rules for the 2018 season.
The rules include:
- Kickoff teams must have five players on each side of the ball
- Kickoff team cannot line up more than one yard from the restraining line
- At least two players must be lined up outside the yard-line number and at least two players must between the inbounds line and yard-line number
- At least eight players must be lined up in 15-yard setup zone prior to the kickoff, only 3 players can remain outside the setup zone
- No wedge blocks allowed, double team blocks limited
- No player on the receiving team may cross the restraining line or initiate a block of the opposing kickoff team in the 15-yard area from the kicking team’s restraining line until the ball hits the ground or is touched.
The NFL posted this video explaining the rule changes to its NFL Football Operations account:
The account also posted this chart to outline the changes:
