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Justin Reid may find a new role on special teams in 2024.
Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub spoke about how the new NFL kickoff rules will impact his team’s strategy. Toub stressed that while kicker Harrison Butker is capable of making tackles, it’s not in the team’s best interest to have him making tackles regularly and that safety Justin Reid could be used to kick the ball off.
Ari Meirov @MySportsUpdate
The #Chiefs have considered not using Harrison Butker for all kickoffs and instead using a player like safety Justin Reid.
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said the new kickoff rule has kickers more involved in tackles, and they don’t want that for Butker.
The full answer is… pic.twitter.com/V10t0QkMFf
“Justin can kick and he can also go down there and make tackles,” Toub said. “He’s an extra guy they are not accounting for. They know that that guy can go and make a tackle but Justin is a guy they have to worry about.”
When asked his take on potentially adding kickoffs to his role, Reid was extremely open to the challenge.
Charles Goldman @goldmctNFL
#Chiefs S Justin Reid on potentially doing kickoffs: “I’d love to. Special teams plays a vital role in the game. In the Super Bowl, special teams was the difference between us winning and losing. It makes a humungous difference. I’m willing to do anything to help us win.”
“I’d love to,” Reid said, per Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. “Special teams plays a vital role in the game. In the Super Bowl, special teams was the difference between us winning and losing. It makes a humungous difference. I’m willing to do anything to help us win.”
Reid notably substituted as a kicker during the 2022 season when Butker was injured and did an adequate job, going 1-of-2 on extra points and kicked off for the team multiple times throughout the season.
The kickoff rule is set to change for the 2024 NFL season and will take the format previously used by the XFL. This means that while the kicker will still kick from the 35-yard line, the blockers will be lined up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line, five yards away from the receiving team’s blockers.
This goal of this is to prevent injuries, but it also means that the kicker will be the last line of defense if the returner breaks through the line. Having an experienced safety like Reid will surely be an advantage for the Chiefs in that situation.
