Most people look at the player who initiates the new NFL kickoffs as the kicker.
Not Derius Davis.
“That guy looks like a steak dinner to me,” said Davis, slated to return kicks for the Chargers.
That’s because if a returner can slip through a crease, it could leave him in a one-on-one situation with someone who makes his living with his toe, not his tackles.
The new rules put the majority of opposing players much closer together for kickoffs, reducing the likelihood of car-crash collisions and increasing the chance of substantial returns, as opposed to touchbacks.
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“Not only did the league need [the new kickoffs], but I think the players needed it, just to have that extra excitement to go out there and play for your brothers,” said Davis, a second-team All-Pro punt returner as a Chargers rookie last season. “If you get a big return, that brings the momentum to the offense.”
Davis brings new meaning to “23 and Me.” Not only is he currently 23 years old, but in 2022 he was the only player in either college football or the NFL to break the 23 mph barrier in game play. He was a receiver at Texas Christian at the time, playing at Colorado, and turned a short reception into an 80-yard touchdown. He was clocked at 23.47 mph.
His college career was a highlight reel of explosive plays, and he’s had a handful of those in the NFL too, among them an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown against the New York Jets, a 51-yard run against the Las Vegas Raiders and, in a preseason game this summer at Dallas, a 70-yard touchdown run against the Cowboys.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity for me this season,” he said. “They do a good job of teeing me up to make big plays. Week 1 is almost here. Whatever my role is on offense, I’m going to put my best foot forward.”
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That includes kick returns, which figure to be safer than they once were. Still, they require steely nerves.
“Honestly, I don’t think about it too much,” he said of the potential for violent collisions. “If you’re a returner focused on that, you’re already beat. But you need to be tough, especially at my size. You’ve got those big ol’ dudes coming down there at full speed, you for sure have to have cajones.”
At 5 feet, 8 inches and 165 pounds, Davis is often the smallest player on the field.
Nothing a few steak dinners can’t cure.
Etc.
Cameron Dicker made 31 of 33 field goal attempts last season, his only misses coming from beyond 50 yards. JK Scott returns as the punter. He averaged 46.3 yards per kick last season and his net was 42.3. Thirty of his 75 punts landed inside the 20 with only four touchbacks. The long snapper is Josh Harris, a 13-year veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Chargers.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
