2016 NFL Average Kickoff Return Allowed Leaders

Return yards divided by returns. It shows how well his kicks and coverage contain returners.

Lower is better. Only specialists with enough returns are ranked. In 2016, Graham Gano (17.7) topped NFL kickoff specialists in average kickoff return allowed, ahead of Bradley Pinion (18.2) and Brandon McManus (18.3). 34 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 10 returns). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 21.4.

NFL rule from 2016 to 2023: a kickoff touchback started the receiving team at its 25 (from 2023 a fair catch inside the 25 did too), so a deep kick into the end zone was the safe, standard result. Kickoff Points Added accounts for the rule, so it is the fair way to compare kickoff specialists across leagues and seasons.

Final 2016 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	Avg ret	Kickoffs	Avg dist	TB%	Returns	Points
1	Graham Gano	Carolina Panthers	17.7	85	64.6	74%	22	+3.7
2	Bradley Pinion	San Francisco 49ers	18.2	31	63.1	65%	10	−0.8
3	Brandon McManus	Denver Broncos	18.3	76	63.3	67%	24	+0.3
4	Caleb Sturgis	Philadelphia Eagles	18.7	84	64.3	55%	38	+8.8
5	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	18.8	94	63.0	55%	41	+16.7
6	Sebastian Janikowski	Las Vegas Raiders	19.5	89	63.3	48%	46	+10.3
7	Greg Zuerlein	Los Angeles Rams	19.5	58	64.6	62%	22	+4.5
8	Cody Parkey	Cleveland Browns	19.9	54	63.7	63%	19	+0.1
9	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	20.0	80	62.8	65%	27	+2.6
10	Jason Myers	Jacksonville Jaguars	20.1	73	63.4	82%	13	−6.3
11	Phil Dawson	San Francisco 49ers	20.1	39	58.5	10%	34	+10.0
12	Andrew Franks	Miami Dolphins	20.4	73	64.4	58%	31	+1.3
13	Stephen Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks	20.7	85	64.3	64%	31	−3.4
14	Dan Carpenter	Buffalo Bills	20.9	67	61.5	42%	39	−0.9
15	Sam Martin	Detroit Lions	21.0	75	63.9	69%	22	+0.6
16	Pat McAfee	Indianapolis Colts	21.2	88	64.4	56%	39	+3.7
17	Dustin Hopkins	Washington Commanders	21.4	90	64.0	72%	25	−6.3
18	Nick Folk	New York Jets	21.5	70	63.0	56%	31	+2.8
19	Connor Barth	Chicago Bears	21.9	61	64.4	43%	35	+4.5
20	Wil Lutz	New Orleans Saints	22.4	89	63.5	55%	40	−2.2
21	Ryan Succop	Tennessee Titans	22.6	79	63.9	73%	20	−4.5
22	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys	22.6	90	64.7	63%	33	+2.1
23	Matt Bosher	Atlanta Falcons	22.6	105	64.6	62%	40	+6.5
24	Mike Nugent	Cincinnati Bengals	22.9	62	63.9	45%	34	+3.1
25	Chandler Catanzaro	Arizona Cardinals	23.1	81	64.1	64%	29	+1.8
26	Josh Lambo	Los Angeles Chargers	23.6	89	63.7	75%	20	−6.2
27	Roberto Aguayo	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	23.7	76	65.3	68%	24	−0.3
28	Nick Novak	Houston Texans	24.0	70	62.7	33%	46	−7.5
29	Cairo Santos	Kansas City Chiefs	24.1	84	63.4	57%	35	+6.8
30	Robbie Gould	New York Giants	24.5	42	63.4	45%	22	−3.8
31	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	24.6	79	62.5	63%	26	−7.2
32	Kai Forbath	Minnesota Vikings	25.4	36	64.9	53%	17	+0.8
33	Blair Walsh	Minnesota Vikings	26.1	40	63.9	48%	21	−5.7
34	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	26.3	88	63.5	53%	41	−13.2

All 2016 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Average Kickoff Return Allowed in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017

More 2016 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

Other 2016 NFL rankings

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