NFL’s new kickoff rules a whole new ballgame for Chargers’ special teams

“Everything is going to change, everything is open,” Chargers special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken says of changes that were designed to encourage kick returns with landing zones and set-up zones.

EL SEGUNDO — Instead of trying for extra hang time on his kickoffs, Cameron Dicker has been practicing placement. Instead of kicking to the end zone and beyond, he’s been experimenting with shorter ones. Instead of hitting the ball squarely and precisely, he’s been trying to intentionally mishit it.

The NFL’s new kickoff rules have changed everything Dicker thought he knew about kickoffs. He’s not alone. Every kicker, every special teams player and coach has been trying to gauge the best way to approach the new rules, which are similar to the ones used by the upstart XFL.

In short, kickoffs will be from a team’s own 35-yard line, as in the past, but with the coverage team lining up on the other team’s 40. The return team will line up between its own 30- and 35-yard lines. The coverage team can’t advance until the ball either hits the ground or is fielded by a return player.

Ryan Ficken, the Chargers’ special teams coordinator, had his players watch a video of the Hall of Fame exhibition game Thursday between the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans in Canton, Ohio, to see how the new rules would be put into practice. It was a window into a whole new ballgame.

“Everything is going to change, everything is open,” Ficken said Friday. “There’s always going to be work to be done in all areas, but right now we’re feeling good in terms of the technique and laying down that foundation and continuing to work the fundamentals and the timing of everything.”

At the moment, after nine days of training camp, the game plan is to keep it simple as far as returning kicks and covering them, too. It’s been left up to Dicker to tinker with a number of different kickoffs to see what works and what doesn’t. The old playbook has been put through the shredder.

“Shanking the kickoff,” Dicker said. “That’s almost the goal, to where if you can shank the kickoff and get it to land early and the returner can’t get to it and, hopefully, it dribbles through. I mean, I’m just trying to hit low balls and trying to punch them out there. I’m trying to hit it off the ankle just for fun, just to see what happens.”

CAREER REVIVAL

Tony Jefferson’s playing days appeared to come to an end after an injury-plagued 2022 season with the New York Giants. He played only nine games and, after playing 10 seasons, he figured it might be time to try his hand at something other than playing defensive back for a living.

So, he landed a job as an intern with the Baltimore Ravens for the 2023 season. It was something new and different that kept him in the game, and he really enjoyed seeing it from a different vantage point. But the “itch” to play again never really left him and so he thought he’d give it another chance in 2024.

It didn’t hurt that Joe Hortiz left the Ravens to become the Chargers’ general manager in the offseason. The Ravens were one of the four teams Jefferson had played for in the NFL, and he and Hortiz had a strong connection that led to him doing some scouting during his internship.

“I’d go down (onto the field) pregame and I would be sizing the guys up, the players up, and I was, like, ‘Man, I was just playing against you a few months ago,’” Jefferson said. “So, I kind of had that itch still. I knew that was what I wanted to do (return to play) once the season was over.”

The Chargers signed him during the offseason and he’s been making his way through training camp with the hope of securing a role when the season begins Sept. 8. He’s one of several players in a crowded field of defensive backs fighting for jobs in what would be his 11th season in the NFL.

EXTRA POINTS

Herbert, who is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks because of a plantar fascia injury, did not attend practice. Wide receivers Quentin Johnston and Leon Johnson, running back Kimani Vidal, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and linebacker Junior Colson also were sidelined. … Defensive back Kristian Fulton and linebackers Nick Niemann and Troy Dye had interceptions during team drills. … Running backs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins participated in a number of rushes during team drills.