Bengals rookie's chances at making an impact just got smaller
The NFL is now likely to see significantly fewer kickoff returns during the 2023 season. League owners approved a rule change that puts the ball at the 25-yard line after a touchback or any fair catch that's made prior to the 25. The rule will be re-evaluated after the end of the season. Players and […]
The NFL is now likely to see significantly fewer kickoff returns during the 2023 season. League owners approved a rule change that puts the ball at the 25-yard line after a touchback or any fair catch that's made prior to the 25. The rule will be re-evaluated after the end of the season.
Players and special teams coaches around the league, as expected, do not approve of the new rule, and for good reason. There are plenty of NFL players whose value derives from kickoff return teams, whether they're blocking or taking the ball back.
The Cincinnati Bengals drafting of wide receiver Charlie Jones had much to do with this.
While Jones ended up going in the fourth round after a dominant year as a pass-catcher at Purdue, his ability as a kickoff returner made him even more appealing to a team that's lacked a spark on special teams.
Trayveon Williams, Chris Evans, and Trent Taylor have manned the role over the past two seasons and remain on the roster, but none of them have averaged anything greater than 25 yards per return in that timeframe.
During one of his many years in career, Jones made a name for himself in the return game. He averaged 26.7 yards per return for Iowa in 2021, including a 100-yard touchdown that was his lone of the season. He was deservedly named the Big 10 Specialist of the Year.
As a rookie, Jones will be given a fair chance to beat out Williams and Co. for the role, and he's got a good chance of getting it done. The issue will lie in how much he'll be able to take advantage of it.
Adding five more yards to every fair catch result will make it less incentivizing to return a kickoff, unless it's a short kick that requires a 20-yard return or smaller to reach the 25. This is the league's goal as it projects to result in fewer concussions on returns.
Achieving that result would be great news, but at the expense of players like Jones, who won't get to see the field very much outside of this role.
It'll still be up to Jones, or whomever assumes the position this year, to make the decision to take the free yardage, or risk it for more. But this one-year trial run will definitely make an impact on the league's specialists.
Jones still has great ability as a receiver, and no rule changes will get in the way of that. The 24-year old projects to be one of the main reserves behind the elite starting trio of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. He'll undoubtedly get opportunities to play offense, even if his impact on special teams won't be as great as expected.
