Chiefs defender believes new kickoff rules can 'add some time' to career

The NFL has adopted new kickoff rules this offseason in which teams will kick the ball off from their 35-yard line and cannot move until the ball hits the ground or is fielded inside the 20-yard line or end zone.

Thanks to the new rules, the Kansas City Chiefs have tossed around the idea of using safety Justin Reid as a kickoff specialist, a move which he thinks could lengthen his career.

"We might have added some time to my career. You might've extended my show a couple (of) years," Reid said on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast. "The earning window is huge with this. When I'm done being the starting guy on safety, I can turn into that rotational third safety and also be a kickoff specialist."

The 27-year-old is entering his seventh season in the league and showed no signs of slowing down in 2023, registering a career-high 95 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble in 16 games.

However, there will come a time, as Reid notes, when he will no longer be a starting safety. It isn't difficult to imagine him making a living on special teams after already flashing some ability on that side of the ball.

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said in May that he had already consider using Reid as a kickoff specialist with anticipation that the position will have to tackle more than in the past.

"They have 10 blockers, and we have 10 attackers, but everybody has two shoulders, so there's an open gap somewhere," Reid added. "And the advantage for us is that if I'm doing the job, which is what we're planning on doing, then I can fill that last gap, so it makes it a little bit easier that nobody needs to win two gaps."

Reid believes that having an extra natural tackler on the field in lieu of kicker Harrison Butker could pay dividends. Plus, the entire kicking game has changed, too.

"The whole dynamic of hang time has completely flipped," Reid added. "Now you're trying to keep the ball as low as possible while still in play. You're trying to get it to hit the ground because when the ball hits the ground, that's now your hang time. Guys can take off at that point and however much time it takes the returner to pick up the ball, that's them wasting time."

It will likely take every team some time to figure out what works for them, but those who have the best strategies out of the gate will have an advantage. The Chiefs are hoping that will be the case for them.