Bengals kicker shares critical take on NFL's new kickoff rules

The NFL adopted new kickoff rules this offseason in which teams will kick the ball off from their 35-yard line. 

The coverage and return teams line up five yards from each other at the receiving team's 35-yard line and cannot move until the ball hits the ground or is fielded inside the 20-yard line or end zone.

With teams around the league getting a chance to implement the new rules during OTAs, there have been some mixed reviews thus far.

Bengals kicker Evan McPherson got his first chance to see it all in action on Tuesday and said that it "doesn't feel too much like football."

"It's definitely interesting," McPherson said, via the team's website. "It brings a lot of placement into play. It's all touch. It feels weird for me."

It will be an adjustment for McPherson, who has had success under the old kickoff rules. In 2023, only 17.1 percent of his kicks were returned (14 of 82 attempts), per Pro Football Focus.

McPherson says he must now focus more on where the ball lands instead of just kicking it as hard as he can.

"I'm used to kicking it as high as I can, as hard as I can," McPherson added. "Now I have to throw it inside to the 5-yard line in specific areas. It's definitely an adjustment. You have to play the wind a lot more now."

Luckily for McPherson, the other 31 teams are going through a similar process of making the adjustments they feel will make them successful.

It's unlikely that any team will have instant success with the new rules, but the teams that find it quicker will certainly have an upper hand weekly.

The Bengals are hoping they can be one of those teams with one of the better younger kickers in the league in McPherson.