Kickoff Changes Make Defensive Linemen Viable Option

Beyond the visuals of the new NFL kickoff rule changes, perhaps the biggest change will be the people who could now be used on the coverage and return team. Hours before the league got its first look at the new-look kickoffs during last night’s Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith was hard at work repping the play at Saint Vincent College.

Most of the players on the coverage and return team were the usual suspects. Linebackers, safeties, a couple of running backs, and some corners out on the edges to contain and offer some speed. But mixed throughout the group were a handful of defensive linemen. On the…