USATSI

Kickoffs will look different in the NFL for the 2023 season, with the league approving Tuesday a one-year trial of new fair-catch rules. Under the refined regulations, kick returners can now signal for a fair catch anywhere inside their own 25-yard line, resulting in a touchback that starts the ensuing possession at the 25.

Again, the changes are not permanent. At least not yet. But that doesn't mean they won't have a heavy influence on specific players, roles and game preparation for the 2023 campaign. With that in mind, here are some instant winners and losers from the adjustment:

Winner: Player safety

Think what you will about whether the NFL truly prioritizes player health as a whole, but there's little denying the new rules will reduce the possibility of violent collisions. The league first began incentivizing non-returns on kickoffs by moving touchbacks from the 20 to the 25 in 2016, but this addition doubles down on that approach. Will every returner embrace the built-in advantage? Of course not. But over time, it's easy to see why this could -- and should -- remove some of the game's biggest moments of contact.

Loser: Special teams coordinators

Kick returns can be some of the biggest momentum-shifters in the game, provided they're planned and executed properly. But incentivizing their reduced impact means removing some of the tangible influence of special teams coaches. Already, commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged this week, there's been pushback from coaches who've made a living off these types of plays.

Winner: The NCAA

College football can claim a small victory here, inspiring the NFL trial that could pave the way for a permanent rule change. The NCAA instituted its own kick-return fair catch starting in 2018, citing improved player safety on touchbacks, and the data on kickoff-related injuries since then played a direct role in the NFL adopting the changes.

Loser: The kickoff's future

As The Athletic noted this week, the NFL is "certainly trending toward eliminating kickoffs (altogether), even though that's not how the league wanted to frame it publicly." The new rules make it so that, in an ideal world, most kickoffs will result in touchbacks, which means kickoffs as a whole won't carry nearly as much excitement or, for lack of a better term, purpose. A total elimination is probably a ways off, considering how many jobs it might affect, but if the goal is to both save time and better player health, while getting on with the offense vs. defense gameplay that propels fan engagement, it doesn't feel far-fetched for the future.

Winner: Offenses

If most teams take advantage of the rules, they'll enjoy better field positioning on the possessions following kickoffs. Ever since the NFL moved touchbacks to the 25, players who've attempted to will their way to a better spot have tended to end up in worse position; the annual kick-return average hasn't exceeded 22.9 yards since 2016. It stands to reason, then, that those who buy into the change rather than actively resist it will see better results for their own offensive output.