Last season the San Francisco 49ers relied on punter Bradley Pinion for all their kickoffs. As a younger player with a stronger leg, Pinion could — and can — more reliably produce touchbacks.
But with the NFL’s rule change to move touchbacks from the 20 to the 25, kicking teams are having less incentive to kick the ball through the end zone.
The rule change was supposed to encourage receiving teams to take the five extra yards with the touchback, thereby reducing kick returns. Instead, it is encouraging kicking teams to kick the ball short.