Ray Davis caught the ball at his own 3-yard line in Houston, with the Texans ahead 13–9 and less than two minutes left in the first half. He spun through traffic, broke outside and ran the length of the field. Buffalo took the lead while its offense stood on the sideline. In FTN’s NFL special teams rankings, the Bills would finish 15th that season. They still had one of the most dangerous returners in football.
The Bills’ season figures tell the rest of Davis’s story. He finished 2025 with 943 yards on 31 returns, and NFL Next Gen Stats credited him with 8.8 return yards over expected per attempt. Those extra yards mattered when he stayed upright long enough to move the chains crew a little closer to midfield. Buffalo had more chances to gain that ground because the league had changed what it cost to kick the ball past him.
The kick that got five yards more expensive
When the NFL tested the dynamic kickoff in 2024, it brought the coverage unit within five yards of the front line of blockers. Both lines had to wait for the ball to land or a receiver to touch it in the landing zone or end zone. That took away the long running start before contact. Kickers could still send the ball through the end zone and give the receiving team the 30. According to league figures, 32.8% of kicks came back, up from 21.8% in 2023.
A year later, owners moved that touchback to the 35. Now a coach who wanted to keep the ball away from a returner had to give up five more yards. Kicking just short of the goal line offered a better bargain. The coverage team could tackle the returner deep, and a ball that bounced in the landing zone before rolling through the end zone could leave the offense at the 20. The NFL counted 1,157 more returns in 2025, when the return rate reached roughly 74%.
The 2026 rulebook changes the bargain when a penalty moves the tee to midfield. A 15-yard foul against the receiving team can do that if officials enforce it on the kickoff after a made field goal. From midfield, a touchback puts the offense at its own 20. A tackle at the 26 saves nine yards against the usual deep-touchback option. From midfield, that same tackle gives away six. The coverage unit can make the same play and leave its coach wishing he’d called a different kick.
How Turpin doubled his yardage
A line drive got away from KaVontae Turpin in Washington in 2024. As the Cowboys’ game coverage recounted it, he picked up the ball at the 1, drifted toward the middle and spun past the converging coverage around the 10. Then he had room to run. His 99-yard touchdown put Dallas up by 10 with less than three minutes left.
Turpin finished that season with 904 yards on 27 returns, an average of 33.5. A year later, he set a Cowboys record with 1,814 yards on 69 returns. His average fell to 26.3. The club’s season recap pointed to how often the defense conceded points, sending Turpin back out to field another kick. Davis took fewer than half as many returns in 2025 and averaged 30.4 yards. Turpin ran farther over the season. Davis gained more each time he brought the ball back.
Even yards per return can hide the advantage an offense inherits. A returner who catches the ball at the 2 and reaches the 30 gains 28 yards. Another who catches it at the 12 and reaches the 35 gains 23. The second run looks smaller in the box score, but it puts the quarterback five yards closer to midfield.
Thirty-six seconds at MetLife
Cleveland took an early lead on a rainy November afternoon and kicked to Kene Nwangwu. He ran it back 99 yards for a Jets touchdown. The Browns went three-and-out and punted to Isaiah Williams, who went 74 yards for another score. The Jets’ game coverage put the touchdowns 36 seconds apart in a 27–20 win.
New York finished first in FTN’s 2025 special teams DVOA, short for Defense-adjusted Value Over Average. The measure estimates how many points a unit’s plays are worth above or below league average. It accounts for kicks, punts and their returns, along with field goals and extra points. FTN also adjusts for stadium type and week of the season. The Jets’ season review credited the team with leading the league in kickoff return average and field goal percentage. Buffalo had an All-Pro returner in Davis. New York had an edge in several parts of the kicking game.
Where the next drive begins
For NFL special teams rankings, a season total captures what a unit did with every chance it got. A per-kick measure helps show what the unit made of each opportunity. Both matter when the rules can more than double the return rate in a year, and when a defense that keeps conceding points can give its returner a record-setting workload.
The next time a coach sends a kick through the end zone, look at where the officials set the ball. The coach may have decided that giving up the 35 beats giving a runner like Davis a lane. A team that trusts its coverage can take the other bet, keep the kick in play and try to make the tackle before the returner gets there.
Davis ran far enough that Buffalo never needed a first snap. Most kickoffs end with an official setting the ball down and a quarterback walking out to meet it. By then, somebody has already won a few yards.
READ MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket Predictions and the Math Behind the Week 18 Scoreboard
FAQs
Q1. Why did the NFL move kickoff touchbacks to the 35-yard line?
A. The move made a deep touchback cost the kicking team five more yards. That gave teams a reason to keep the ball in play.
Q2. Where does the ball go after a touchback on a kickoff from midfield?
A. Under the 2026 rulebook, the receiving team starts at its own 20-yard line.
Q3. Why did KaVontae Turpin’s return yards rise while his average fell?
A. He fielded 69 returns in 2025 after handling 27 in 2024. The extra chances pushed his total higher even as he gained fewer yards per return.
Q4. What does special teams DVOA measure?
A. It estimates how many points a team’s kicking and return plays are worth above or below league average.
Q5. Who led FTN’s NFL special teams rankings in 2025?
A. The New York Jets finished first. Their season review credited them with leading the league in kickoff return average and field goal percentage.
