With the NFL set to implement a new kickoff format for the 2024 season, The Athletic's Jenna West recently shared that Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has been hitting the weight room more often during the last few months.
"[Justin] Tucker said he’s noticed in XFL games that kickers have been involved in 25 percent of the tackles with the revamped kickoff play, sparking him to hit the weight room more," West wrote.
Tucker referred to XFL games because the NFL will use their kickoff rule during the upcoming season.
Before the new rule was approved earlier this year, the NFL's Football Operations account on X shared a video detailing what kickoffs will look like in the league.
The video clip also helps explain why Tucker has attempted to add more muscle to his frame this offseason. With the new rule in place, he will have to make more tackles than he did at any point in his previous 12 seasons in the NFL when the traditional kickoff rule was used.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds, Tucker is about the size of an average slot cornerback in the NFL. But, unlike kickers, slot corners typically focus on building their strength during the offseason to be better prepared to make tackles in the open field.
Since entering the NFL in 2012, Tucker has made eight tackles as a member of the Ravens. He hasn't shown much hesitancy in the past when he's been presented with the opportunity to make a tackle, and sometimes, he's even sought to be the one to make the tackle on a kickoff.
Tucker's career-high for tackles in a single season was three in 2017. With the new kickoff rule, he'll likely easily surpass that total during the 2024 season.
