Minnesota Vikings Reveal Preseason Kick and Punt Return Plans

The Minnesota Vikings will play their first preseason game of 2025 on Saturday at US Bank Stadium against the Houston Texans. There, fans are expecting to see JJ McCarthy play full-speed football for the first time in a year.

The last time we saw the Vikings’ 2024 No. 10 overall pick wear game day purple and gold, he was balling out one year ago in his NFL preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, where he completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

While McCarthy’s return is at the top of everyone’s mind, there are other storylines Saturday worth paying attention to. And one thing that is sure to stand out this weekend for casual Vikings fans who have gotten used to NFL kickoffs being a perfect time for a bathroom break or beverage refill.

Big changes coming to NFL kickoffs this season

One of the biggest changes to National Football League games in 2025 is, yet again, on special teams. This offseason, the league voted to essentially eliminated the “touchback” on kickoffs passively by moving the start line for a receiving team that catches and/or downs the ball in its own end zone to the 35-yard line.

Thus, Minnesota Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels and his staff are predicting that 90% of kick returns in the league this season will be “returnable”. That’s because kicking teams are now expected to almost exclusively kick the ball short of the end zone, in order to force a return and avoid a 35-yard touchback.

Another NFL rule change — enticing more kickoff returns by moving the touchback line up to the 35-yard line — has special teams coordinator Matt Daniels expecting “90 percent of kicks” to be returnable in the preseason as coaches try to prepare their coverage groups.

Andrew Krammer – Star Tribune

Related: Former QB Says MN Vikings Wanted Him to Play Worse

This plan adds onto the changes in NFL kickoffs last year, where both the receiving and kicking teams lineup near one another, and from a standstill start. Those major tweaks were made to encourage more kickoff returns, while also making kickoffs safer.

The latter objective was not met, after the 2024 rule extended touchbacks out to the 25-yard-line, from the previous 20-yard marker. So in 2025, the NFL took the more extreme step of moving touchbacks out to the 35-yard-line, which will surely do the trick.

Obviously, this new rule puts an increased amount of importance on the kick returner position that we haven’t seen in nearly a decade. That’s why all NFL teams (including the Minnesota Vikings) are putting a lot more thought into who will be their kick returner for 2025.

Minnesota Vikings announce initial plans at kick and punt returner

And the first players who will get their shot at the job this preseason, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels revealed Thursday, are 22-year-old rookie 3rd round pick, WR Tai Felton (Maryland), along with 27-year-old speedster running back, Ty Chandler.

Daniels also announced the first player who will get his shot at returning punts, newly acquired 25-year-old playmaking WR, Rondale Moore. Interestingly, there are few Vikings players with NFL punt return experience, one of them being highly-compensated CB1, Byron Murphy Jr.

Receiver Tai Felton, the rookie third-round pick out of Maryland, and running back Ty Chandler are expected to be back there for the Vikings during Saturday’s preseason opener against the Texans.

Moore will get the first crack at punt returner.

“The idea is for us to get Rondale in there early and often,” Daniels said. “There are really only three guys that have caught an NFL punt: Rondale Moore, [receiver] Lucky Jackson did it in the preseason, and then you’ve got Byron Murphy Jr. on the defensive side.”

Star Tribune

Ty Chandler, Tai Felton land kickoff return duties

Ty Chandler has returned a total of 12 kickoffs during his three year career with the Minnesota Vikings. He’s gained 302 return yards on those attempts, averaging 25.2 yards per return. He has yet to house a kickoff… but maybe that changes in 2025.

Rookie receiver Tai Felton fits the returner description, but didn’t do it much at Maryland (26 total returns). We’ll see how he looks with his opportunities against the Houston Texans. His performance could go a long way toward defining his first year role in Minnesota

MN Vikings will give Rondale Moore first crack at punt returns

Rondale Moore, who will not be the first kick return option Saturday, is the most experienced NFL punt and kick returner of the bunch, though he hasn’t done either regularly since 2021. That season with the Arizona Cardinals, Moore returned 21 punts for 171 yards (8.3 YPR) and 13 kicks (291 YPR).

For now, the Vikings have him focusing solely on punt returns. Like Chandler, Moore has yet to score a return TD and has struggled in the past with ball security on returns, something that will not be allowed with the Minnesota Vikings.

#Packers recover the ball on the 3-yard line after Rondale Moore gets his fingers on the punt #GoPackGo

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— Sportskeeda Pro Football (@SKProFootball) October 29, 2021