2017 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 2017, Matt Prater (14.9) topped NFL kickoff specialists in average kickoff return allowed, ahead of Dustin Hopkins (17.4) and Josh Lambo (18.2). 36 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 10 returns). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 21.1.

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 2017 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	Avg ret	Kickoffs	Avg dist	TB%	Returns	Points
1	Matt Prater	Detroit Lions	14.9	16	60.5	38%	10	+3.2
2	Dustin Hopkins	Washington Commanders	17.4	40	64.3	73%	11	+2.4
3	Josh Lambo	Jacksonville Jaguars	18.2	55	59.8	40%	33	−1.5
4	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	18.6	88	63.4	63%	33	+0.2
5	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	18.7	78	64.2	78%	17	−0.9
6	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	18.9	98	63.5	41%	58	+9.2
7	Rigoberto Sanchez	Indianapolis Colts	19.2	69	63.3	67%	23	−0.4
8	Mike Nugent	Dallas Cowboys	19.3	36	62.8	50%	18	+5.9
9	Cody Parkey	Miami Dolphins	19.6	62	63.8	45%	34	+5.8
10	Blair Walsh	Seattle Seahawks	19.8	77	62.7	51%	37	+9.0
11	Giorgio Tavecchio	Las Vegas Raiders	19.9	63	64.2	76%	15	+0.9
12	Aldrick Rosas	New York Giants	20.5	60	62.2	43%	32	+0.7
13	Greg Zuerlein	Los Angeles Rams	20.6	95	63.9	77%	20	−1.9
14	Stephen Hauschka	Buffalo Bills	20.6	70	61.2	53%	33	−3.1
15	Chandler Catanzaro	New York Jets	20.7	67	64.0	67%	22	+1.3
16	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	20.8	68	62.0	53%	32	−2.9
17	Sam Martin	Detroit Lions	21.0	50	64.8	50%	25	+6.7
18	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	21.1	90	63.1	51%	43	+2.9
19	Nick Rose	Washington Commanders	21.1	45	64.9	71%	13	+1.3
20	Graham Gano	Carolina Panthers	21.2	82	64.6	85%	12	−3.6
21	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	21.4	74	63.6	66%	25	+1.0
22	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	21.4	83	62.7	51%	40	−0.5
23	Bradley Pinion	San Francisco 49ers	21.4	79	64.1	81%	14	+1.1
24	Phil Dawson	Arizona Cardinals	21.6	75	61.4	47%	40	+1.9
25	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys	21.6	56	64.4	57%	24	+5.4
26	Brandon McManus	Denver Broncos	21.7	66	62.3	68%	21	−8.1
27	Nick Novak	Los Angeles Chargers	22.6	34	59.5	26%	25	−2.1
28	Kai Forbath	Minnesota Vikings	22.9	88	63.5	50%	44	−4.2
29	Randy Bullock	Cincinnati Bengals	23.0	65	62.6	46%	34	−2.4
30	Travis Coons	Los Angeles Chargers	23.1	15	62.9	27%	11	+0.2
31	Ryan Succop	Tennessee Titans	23.4	79	64.6	59%	32	+1.3
32	Zane Gonzalez	Cleveland Browns	23.8	52	62.4	63%	19	−6.9
33	Connor Barth	Chicago Bears	24.4	37	64.2	46%	20	−5.3
34	Wil Lutz	New Orleans Saints	24.6	91	65.3	64%	32	+0.8
35	Patrick Murray	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	25.0	57	62.6	25%	43	−1.4
36	Matt Bosher	Atlanta Falcons	26.2	82	64.4	60%	33	−4.4

All 2017 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Average Kickoff Return Allowed in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2016

More 2017 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

Other 2017 NFL rankings

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