The San Francisco 49ers revamped their special teams in free agency with a series of moves aimed at addressing their problems in that facet of the game.

That unit will have to cope with a new challenge in 2024 after the Niners failed to stop the NFL passing drastic changes to kickoffs.

San Francisco was one of just three franchises to vote against the introduction of the 'hybrid kickoff' on a trial basis for 2024 at the NFL annual meetings. The Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers joined the Niners in opposing the measure.

NFL kickoffs will now be markedly similar to those seen in the XFL in 2020 and 2023.

Kickers will kick from the 35-yard line as is already the case, with their 10 teammates starting at the opposing 40. One or two return men can be in the 'landing zone' from the goal line to the 20-yard line. The rest of the return team will line up in the 'setup zone' between the 30 and 35. Only the kicker and returners can move until the ball hits the ground or is touched.

The changes were passed after the NFL competition committee tweaked the proposal, with touchbacks moving the ball to the 30 rather than the 35.

San Francisco, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic, opposed the measure out of a desire to have it further evaluated for health and safety reasons.

But the 49ers have other reasons to be concerned about the changes. Last season, the 49ers ranked 20th with a kick return average of 21.9 yards. On the other side, they gave up the third-most kick return yards in the NFL (746), albeit at an average of 23.3 yards that was exactly middle of the pack.

The Niners addressed their special teams woes in free agency by signing Ezekiel Turner, who played 342 special teams snaps for the Arizona Cardinals last season. Defensive back Chase Lucas arrived on a one-year deal after logging 295 special teams snaps in 2023. Additionally, the Niners signed core special teamer George Odum to a two-year extension. 

They will hope those moves improve what was a clear weakness for them in 2023. The performance of their kicker Jake Moody should help them adapt to the new kickoff rule, as only 59.8% of his kickoffs in his rookie year went for a touchback, the seventh-lowest rate in the NFL.

Touchbacks were seen as a favorable outcome when they led to the ball being placed at the 25, but the extra five yards change the equation, and the 49ers may be more willing to take the gamble of trying to pin returners deep with accurate kicks while risking a return. The success of that tactic, however, would be largely reliant on the coverage unit.

San Francisco will also need to consider its plans at kick returner. The Niners lost Ray-Ray McCloud in free agency and could replace him in the draft, but the apparently decreased risk of high-speed collisions might embolden them to use receiver Deebo Samuel in that role more often.

The Niners would rather have not had the impact of these changes added to their plate, and they now have a lot more to think about after their unsuccessful bid to stop the rule change.

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