Throughout the offseason, it has seemed like the Kansas City Chiefs have been planning to use safety Justin Reid instead of kicker Harrison Butker as their kickoff specialist because of how often kickers could be involved in tackles in the new kickoff format. But it sounds like that won’t be their plan, after all.
During a recent press conference, Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub announced that Harrison Butker would be the team’s primary kickoff man “hands down” given his talent for kicking and placing the ball downfield.
“Butker’s going to be our main kickoff guy. I mean, hands down,” Toub said according to Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star. “Because he can move the ball and do a lot of different things. He’s our most talented kickoff guy.”
Earlier this offseason, Reid talked as if it was nearly a done deal that he would be the team’s primary kickoff specialist to preserve the health and safety of Butker.
“We’re in a great place with it,” Reid said last month. “Although I know he can make some tackles, I think he’s excited to preserve himself, and we can use him where we really need him, which is those fourth-quarter situations to go nail a 60-yard field goal and win the game. It would be devastating to try and trot a guy out there who’s still nicked up from trying to make a tackle in the second quarter.”
But it seems like those plans have changed.
