3 key (and quirky) details from NFL special teams coordinators’ proposal to revitalize kickoff returns

Touchbacks at the 35-yard line??? Here's how NFL special teams coordinators plan to save kickoffs and onside kicks.

One of the NFL’s worst-kept secrets is that the third phase of special teams is becoming less and less of a factor in games.

This is especially the case with kickoffs and onside kicks, which are most often the most dangerous play in football because they push players to sprint full speed downfield into one another. Knowing this, it likely wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see special teams — or at least kickoffs and onside kicks — be eliminated from professional football sometime in the future.

Special teams coordinators seem well aware of this fact, and they’re trying to be proactive about saving kickoffs and onside kicks (and their jobs by extension).

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, a smattering of coordinators have devised a detailed plan to make onside kicks and kickoffs more meaningful again. Should their proposal succeed, they could flip NFL football on its head.

Let’s dive into the key details of their plan and what it would mean for the game.