Chargers return from off week hoping for better returns on special teams
Compared to the blocking booby traps that were once set at all levels of the field, one condensed layer of opponents on a kickoff return seems easy enough to navigate for Derius Davis. But the NFL’s new kickoff rules are harder to solve than they appear, the Chargers kick returner said Wednesday.
The Chargers’ special teams unit has yet to break through under the league’s new dynamic kickoff rules. The team has returned only four kicks, averaging 21.3 yards per return that ranks 29th in the league.
Davis led the league in punt return average last season, but this year the Chargers are mustering just 9.7 yards per punt return with a league-low four attempts.
Returning from an early off week, the Chargers (2-2) expect the special teams dynamics to shift as the season progresses.
Davis didn’t get many game reps under the new kickoff rules that spot touchbacks at the 30-yard line and prohibit tacklers or blockers, who are set up 25 yards away from the kicker, from moving until the ball touches the ground, a player or the end zone.
Each game brings more information about how to handle the unique set-up.
“Things happen much faster,” Davis said, “and as a returner, you have to be able to pick your sets.”
The new rules were intended to limit high-speed collisions and encourage returns. Yet, 69.2% of kickoffs have gone for touchbacks. The league estimated between 50% and 60% of kicks would be returned, but only 29.7% have been through five weeks. It’s still an increase from last season’s record-low of 22%.
Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken expects fewer teams will opt to kick out of the end zone as the season progresses and temperatures drop. Davis envisions more teams will kick on the ground.
“We need to go ahead and continue to find ... how we can go ahead and impact [the game] in a positive way,” Ficken said. “We got the right guys in there to go ahead and implement it.”
Although the kickoff unit has yet to find its groove, Ficken emphasized the early success of the punt unit that limits returners to just 9.1 yards per attempt. Punter J.K. Scott notched a hang time of longer than five seconds on five of his six punts against the Kansas City Chiefs, Ficken said.
Besides healing from injuries, the Chargers must use the off week to examine the offense, its receivers and time spent on the field by the stingy defense.
The punt coverage unit is operating with rookie Cam Hart in the critical punt protector role after Nick Niemann started the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Safety Alohi Gilman took over at the position but he suffered a knee injury early in the season. Hart, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound rookie Ficken calls “a cornerback in a safety’s body” got the call.
“We talked about just how we can create value,” Ficken said. “Find something that you can create value for yourself, whatever role it is. If it’s something you’ve never done before, now you’re adding more value to this football team, and it gives us an ability to be more versatile.”
Hart, a fifth-round draft pick, was a team captain at Notre Dame, where he started in all 12 of his appearances in 2023 with 21 tackles and four pass breakups. He was also a stalwart on punt units, playing 65 combined snaps on coverage and return teams, according to Pro Football Focus.
Derwin James Jr. didn’t enjoy missing the Chargers’ game against the Chiefs because of a suspension, but he did like how improved depth showed in his absence.
Fighting for a spot on his first NFL roster, Hart knew his willingness to play special teams would define his early opportunities. Although more accustomed to playing out wide as a gunner, he didn’t blink at lining up at a position more often occupied by bigger linebackers, or sometimes even linemen.
“You got to be more physical,” said Hart, who credited teammates, including long snapper Josh Harris, for their advice. “Be able to stick your face in there and block.”
Niemann returned to the practice field during the off week and is working within a 21-day window before going back to the active roster. The linebacker’s return would boost the special teams depth, Ficken said.
Etc.
Quarterback Justin Herbert (ankle) participated in practice Monday while wearing a brace on his sprained right ankle. Right tackle Joe Alt (knee) participated in practice with a brace on his right knee. Linebacker Junior Colson (hamstring) returned to the field for the first time since suffering a strained hamstring in the Week 2 game against the Carolina Panthers. … Left tackle Rashawn Slater (pectoral) and outside linebacker Joey Bosa (hip) were among the players working on the sideline with trainers.
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