By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
An adjustment this NFL season for fans, players and coaches alike will be to a new kickoff rule.
People got their first look at the rule during Thursday's Hall of Fame game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans.
Chiefs Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub says he was excited to see it in action in an actual game
"Couldn't wait to see it, I was like everybody else was I was the same way," Toub tells reporters after practice. "I thought there might've been a couple bigger returns, but they kept it kind of vanilla especially in this first game, but you've got a lot more games coming up here Thursday and Friday I guess."
Preseason will be the big evaluation period for how to play into the new kickoff rules.
Toub says kicker Harrison Butker has spent a lot of time preparing for the new kickoff
"In the afternoon we're inside, we're kicking off in there, we're working kickoffs inside," Toub says. "So, he wants to kick off all the time, so we've done a lot experimenting with that, and he's got a variety of kicks."
As the Chiefs special teams unit adjusts to a new kickoff rule, they also continue to search for who could be back returning kicks and punts.
One option is third year receiver Skyy Moore who has had his struggles producing for the Chiefs since being drafted two years ago.
Moore says that he sees more opportunities to make an impact in the return game with the new kickoff rules
"I see the benefit in putting that rule in, it's definitely going to make the game more exciting, more kickoff return opportunities, so I'm excited for that for sure," Moore says.
It was a lighter practice today for the Chiefs as they held a "10-10-10 practice. 10 offensive plays, 10 defensive plays, 10 minutes of special teams cycling, practicing for just under two hours.
The Chiefs return to the practice fields tomorrow at 9:15 for the first of three more practices this week ahead of Saturday's preseason game.
Injury Report
During a lighter practice on Sunday for the Chiefs there were no new additions to the injury report, but there were a handful of players that returned to practice.
Cornerback Jaylen Watson, who returned to practice on Friday in a yellow non-contact jersey, was back in his normal jersey as he hit the practice field. Also returning to practice was safety Deon Bush and receiver Justin Watson. Both had missed part of training camp with ankle injuries.
After leaving practice on Friday with a slight shoulder injury, offensive tackle Wanya Morris was also back at practice on Sunday. Cornerback Nahzee Johnson was also back at practice today.
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