Take this next bit of information with a grain of salt. Comparing 2020 to 2019, we saw an increase in kick return attempts and kick return yardage. While we saw a decrease in punt return attempts, we saw a slight increase in punt return yardage. Teams totaled the same number of kick returns for touchdown and had one more punt return for touchdown. The punt return numbers were directly affected by the fact teams fair caught punts around 7% less in 2020 than in each of the previous two seasons. There were 54 more kick return attempts and 1257 more kick return yards in the 16 games of 2020 than in 2019. This all shows a trend of teams taking more risks with both kick and punt return opportunities. In addition, there will be one extra game played in 2021. Here is a quick outlook of how the 32 special teams will do in the return game.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 1,036 kick return and 0.7 TD, 224 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 764 kick return and 1 TD, 232 punt return
Cincinnati will roll with two seasoned returners in S Brandon Wilson and CB Darius Phillips. The Bengals were on the edge of the top 10 in both punt and kick return yards last year. They did rank 9th in the NFL last season with 24.6 yards per kick return and tied for 10th in punt return average with 10.1 yards.
NEW YORK GIANTS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 1,076 kick return, 260 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 788 kick return, 228 punt return
Former Bengals first round draft pick WR John Ross was slated to be the [primary kick returner, but was placed on designated-to-return injured reserve and will miss the first three games. S Jabrill Peppers and rookie WR Kadarius Toney will likely share kick return duties with the rookie getting the first crack at it. Peppers will also return punts as long as he stays healthy, which has been a problem for the Giants lately.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 902 kick return and 0.7 TD, 228 punt return and 0.7 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 646 kick return and 1 TD, 163 punt return and 1 TD
Kansas City has a speedster in WR Mecole Hardman handling dual return duty. Yet, we would not be surprised if WR Byron Pringle returns kickoffs in order to reduce the injury risk factor for Hardman. In a pinch, the Chiefs could turn to their faster player WR Tyreek Hill to return punts, but don’t count on too many opportunities.
NEW YORK JETS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 1,012 kick return and 0.4 TD, 230 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 811 kick return, 86 punt return
It is pretty sad when you have nearly three times as many fair catches (29) as you do actual punt returns (10). Rookie RB Michael Carter will give the Jets a much needed boost on kick returns. WR Keelan Cole will be the secondary kick returner as well as back up WR Braxton Berrios on punt return duties.
BUFFALO BILLS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 922 kick return and 0.4 TD, 290 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 995 kick return, 370 punt return and 1 TD
Veteran WR Isaiah McKenzie will be the primary dual return to open the season for Buffalo as rookie WR Marquez Stevenson went on designated-to-return injured reserve after making the 53-man roster. Do not be surprised if the rookie is added to the return mix as early as October once he comes off IR.
CHICAGO BEARS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 881 kick return and 0.7 TD, 319 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 1,145 kick return and 1 TD, 190 punt return
The Bears traditionally have a solid special teams year in and year out. They will likely go with rookie RB Khalil Herbert on kickoffs. Yet, WR Nsimba Webster was added to the roster recently and could be the dual return man if Herbert plays a bigger role on offense with RB Tarik Cohen on the physically-unable-to-perform lst and out at least six games. If Webster handles the dual returns, he is an average returner at best and this ranking drops a little.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 763 kick return and 0.4 TD, 335 punt return and 0.7 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 1,111 kick return and 1 TD, 312 punt return
The Colts have a kick and punt returner returning this year. CB Isaiah Rodgers and RB Nyheim Hines will be the primary KR and PR. Rodgers averaged nearly 29 yards on 24 kick returns last year and is the best returner on this team. Hines is steady and averaged 10 yards on 30 punt return attempts in 2020.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 889 kick return, 201 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 795 kick return, 115 punt return
Cleveland ranked 8th in kick return attempts (36) and yardage (795) last year, but 14th in kick return average (22.1). Veteran WR Donovan Peoples-Jones and RB D’Ernest Johnson will likely start the season as the primary kick and punt returners. Rookie RB Demetric Felton may handle punt returns as well.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 707 kick return, 327 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 761 kick return, 399 punt return
The loss of WR Tommylee Lewis to injured reserve created a void on special teams for the Saints. Yet, WR Deonte Harris is an underrated but solid dual returner. He averaged 27.3 yards on 16 kick returns and 12.2 yards on 17 punt returns last year. In addition, WR Marquez Callaway (23.5 and 11.1) is a viable backup dual return option. We do expect Callaway to be much more involved on offense until WR Michael Thomas returns in Week 7.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 816 kick return, 204 punt return and 0.7 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 924 kick return, 100 punt return
In 2020, the Chargers were night and day in kick and punt return yards. They ranked 5th with 924 kick return yards but 28th with just 100 punt return yards. Last year, S Nasir Adderley averaged a stout 28.9 yards on 11 kick return attempts. WR K.J. Hill averaged just 6.9 yards on his 12 punt returns.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 725 kick return and 0.4 TD, 279 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 717 kick return, 357 punt return and 1 TD
WR Gunner Olszewski was huge for the Patriots last year averaging 17.3 yards on 20 punt returns with one touchdown. He averaged just 23.2 yards on 18 kick return attempts, so RB J.J. Taylor could be called upon to share or take over the primary kick return duties. The Patriots did sign RB Malcolm Perry off waivers from Miami and he has punt return experience.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 690 kick return and 0.7 TD, 291 punt return and 0.7 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 215 kick return, 354 punt return and 1 TD
Miami desperately needs to improve on their kick return attempts as they only had a meager 12 kick returns in 2020. Rookie WR Jaylen Waddle could get an early call for dual return duty if veteran WR Jakeem Grant does not impress right out of the gate.
ATLANTA FALCONS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 981 kick return and 0.4 TD, 199 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 409 kick return, 152 punt punt return
What can you say about a team that ranked dead last in the NFL with 561 combined return yards last year? Of course, Atlanta made a huge upgrade with WR/RB Cordarrelle Patterson as their primary kick returner. While he is extremely dangerous whenever he returns a kick, teams have found ways to avoid kicking to him. Still, he did total 1,017 yards and one touchdown on 35 kick returns for Chicago in 2020.
TENNESSEE TITANS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 759 kick return and 0.7 TD, 218 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 767 kick return and 1 TD, 208 punt return
The Titans placed RB Darrynton Evans on designated-to-return injured reserve and he will be eligible to play in Week 4. WR Cameron Batson likely replaces Evans on kickoffs with WR Chester Rogers as the primary punt returner. Batson is a dual return option and could assume this role as early as opening day.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 642 kick return, 316 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 670 kick return, 356 punt return
WR Ray Ray McCloud totaled 944 combined return yards for the Steelers in 2020. He averaged 23,1 yards on 28 kick returns and 10.3 yards on 29 punt returns. WR Diontae Johnson and CB James Pierre will be kick and punt return backups to McCloud.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 642 kick return and 0.4 TD, 302 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 613 kick return and 1 TD, 244 punt return
The Ravens are a dangerous return team. In 2020, they ranked 29th in kick return attempts with just 23 opportunities. Yet, they averaged 26.7 yards a return and that ranked them 2nd overall in the NFL. Baltimore added a kick return for touchdown as well.
HOUSTON TEXANS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 712 kick return, 228 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 722 kick return, 158 punt return
Houston is notorious for having mediocre, at best, kick and punt return averages. Nothing changed last year as they had a 20.1 kick and 7.9 punt return average. So, the Texans brought in WR Andre Roberts who averaged 30 yards on 32 kick returns and 9.9 yards on 29 punt returns for Buffalo in 2020. Hopefully, he can drastically improve their return average from previous seasons.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 670 kick return, 264 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 418 kick return, 265 punt return
WR Hunter Renfrow averaged a solid 11.5 yards on 23 punt return attempts. In fact, he returned nearly 70% of his opportunities last year. Unfortunately, Las Vegas could only generate 418 kick return yards and averaged a mere 19 yards on 22 attempts. On top of this, their kick returner from last year, RB Jalen Richard, went on designated-to-return injured reserve and will miss the first three games. Look for RB Kenyan Drake to handle kickoffs for the first few games.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 718 kick return, 215 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 648 kick return, 230 punt return and 1 TD
The team is hoping WR Jalen Reagor can recapture last year’s magic when he averaged 23.5 yards on four punt returns. Of course, he has to stay healthy to achieve this. The Eagles averaged a paltry 20.9 yards on 31 kick returns last year. WR Quez Watkins and rookie RB Kenneth Gainwell will be given the first opportunities to improve this average.
DETROIT LIONS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 670 kick return and 0.4 TD, 224 punt return and 0.7 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 845 kick return, 217 punt return and 1 TD
WR Kalif Raymond is an experienced dual returner and will begin this season as such for the Lions. In 35 career games, Raymond has totaled 1,086 yards on 53 kick returns (20.5 average) and 463 yards on 56 punt returns (8.3 average).
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 628 kick return, 245 punt return and 0.7 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 614 kick return, 205 punt return and 1 TD
WR Jamal Agnew joins the Jaguars in 2021. He is a dual return specialist, and a good one at that. Last year, he had 783 kick return yards for an average of 28 per return and added 178 punt return yards for an average of 12.7 while playing for Detroit.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 663 kick return, 237 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 520 kick return, 226 punt return
The kick return unit was horrible last year while the punt return unit feared much better. Yet, ranking 28th in kick return yards (520) on 27 attempts and having more fair catches (26) than punt returns (25) is cause for concern here. In addition, they do not have a clear-cut primary kick or punt returner.
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 725 kick return and 0.4 TD, 138 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 645 kick return, 176 punt return
RB Jaret Patterson will get a chance to hold down the primary kick return job as the coaching staff looks for ways to get this exciting rookie on the field. Hopefully, he can give a middle of the road 2020 outfit a much needed boost. WR DeAndre Carter will be the primary punt returner for Washington.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 621 kick return, 252 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 516 kick return, 235 punt return
Very little to get excited about on special teams with the Rams. They ranked 27th in kick return attempts (25), 28th in kick return yardage (516), and 23rd in kick return average (20.6). To make matters worse, they currently do not have a front runner to handle kick return duties and will rely on veteran WR Cooper Kupp or rookie WR Tutu Atwell to handle punts.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 705 kick return, 160 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 734 kick return, 117 punt return
Carolina is very thin in the return department. RB Trenton Cannon made the 53-man roster, but was released when the team signed RB Royce Freeman. That leaves them with only rookie WR Shi Smith as their dual returner. It is hard to believe the Panthers would use WR D.J. Moore as a returner and risking injury to a valuable piece of their offense even though he has return experience.
ARIZONA CARDINALS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 646 kick return, 212 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 525 kick return, 136 punt return
Arizona ranked 26th (525 yards) and 25th (126 yards) in yards for kick and punt returns last year. WRs Andy Isabella and Christian Kirk are expected to start the season as the primary kick and punt returners. Both underachieved in these roles last year, so the team drafted WR Rondale Moore who could handle one or both of the duties.
DENVER BRONCOS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 600 kick return, 215 punt return and 0.4 TD
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 557 kick return, 267 punt return and 1 TD
Denver averaged just 20.6 yards on 27 kick returns last year. They fared much better on punts with a 13.4 yard average on 20 returns and that had a punt return for touchdown. They will go with the same dual return as last year in WR Diontae Spencer.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 685 kick return, 124 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 623 kick return, 53 punt return
Green Bay likely trots out two rookies as their primary kick and punt returners in 2021. RB Kylin Hill and WR Amari Rodgers will handle these duties. Rodgers will back Hill up on kickoffs and WR Randall Cobb will step in when needed as a punt returner.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 582 kick return, 204 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 722 kick return, 69 punt return
The release of RB Ameer Abdullah leaves the Vikings very thin in the return game. He was signed to their practice squad, so he is still around if they have issues. WR K.J. Osborn did handle dual returns for Minnesota in part of 2020. Unfortunately, he averaged just 21.6 yards on 14 kick returns and 3.9 yards on seven punt returns. Rookie RB Kene Nwangwu made the 53-man roster and then was placed on designated-to-return injured reserve. He could return in about a month and be involved on kickoffs.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 613 kick return, 168 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 629 kick return, 189 punt return
It is surprising to list the Seahawks this far down as they traditionally have a solid return game. Last year, the Seahawks ranked 21st and 20th in kick (28) and punt (22) return attempts. In fact, they had as many fair catches (22) as they had punt returns in 2020. Their averages were not very impressive either at 22.5 yards on kick and 8.6 yards on punt returns.
DALLAS COWBOYS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 557 kick return and 0.4 TD, 182 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 965 kick return and 1 TD, 265 punt return
It appears RB Tony Pollard and WR Cedrick Wilson will handle the primary kick and punt return duties with each backing the other up. There is always the chance WR CeeDee Lamb gets involved with punt returns, but highly unlikely there is any consistency of him doing so.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
2021 Projected Return Yards and TDs: 592 kick return, 181 punt return
2020 Return Yards and TDs: 546 kick return, 176 punt return
Tampa Bay ranked 27th overall in the NFL last year for combined return yards with 722. We project they will not total much more than that in 2021. Rookie WR Jaelon Darden will get the call early as the dual returner. It would not surprise us if the Buccaneers turn to second-year WR Tyler Johnson or third year veteran WR Scotty Miller to handle return duties.
