The New Orleans Saints and the rest of the NFL felt a bit of a special teams shift on Tuesday morning. The annual league meetings have created another rule change in motion for the entire NFL, and there's a notable one for the return game.
NFL adjusts touchback rule
According to Adam Schefter, the NFL has passed a kickoff rule change that swaps where receiving teams will get the ball on a touchback.
Touchbacks will now come out to the 35 yard line instead of the 30. That change by the league will, in theory, discourage teams from kicking so many balls out of the end zone. That will hopefully lead to more returns, which are safer due to some other adjustments made in recent years.
With this touchback spot change, the NFL has been projecting an increase in the return rate from ~33% in 2024 to between 60%-70% in 2025. There are some downstream aspects that could come into play in terms of field position, scoring, game management when you add that many plays. -- Kevin Seifert
This change by the NFL has important implications for the Saints, who boast one of the top returners in all of football.
How it helps Rashid Shaheed and the Saints
This move from the NFL will allow for more kickoff returns around the league. In turn, New Orleans' speedster, Rashid Shaheed, will get more opportunities to give his team great field position or even potentially return kicks for scores.
Not to mention, Shaheed is not alone in his return duties. We've seen Taysom Hill have success in the return game for New Orleans in the past, and the Saints have frequently signed undrafted free agents with special teams upside in recent years.
They've already shown interest in Southeastern WR Darius Lewis ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. He has returner experience and blazing speed that jumps off the screen. He may be another hidden gem for the Saints who could be positively affected by this league-wide adjustment.
All in all, Saints fans now Shaheed's return talent very well. It has given them flashbacks to Deonte Harris' peaks with New Orleans. With Shaheed, they've gotten a lot more out of him in the receiving game as well.
Expect this rule adjustment to help him further his playing career and help the Saints even more going forward.
