2018 NFL Average Kickoff Distance Leaders

The average length of a specialist's kickoffs in yards, from the kicking spot to where the ball was caught or crossed the goal line. Onside kicks are left out.

A touchback counts the full distance to the goal line, so a deep kick and a kick into the end zone score the same. In 2018, Brett Maher (64.7) led NFL kickoff specialists in average kickoff distance, ahead of Greg Zuerlein (64.6) and Caleb Sturgis (64.6). 34 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 30 kickoffs). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 63.7.

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 2018 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	Avg dist	Kickoffs	TB%	Returns	Points
1	Brett Maher	Dallas Cowboys	64.7	77	68%	25	−4.9
2	Greg Zuerlein	Los Angeles Rams	64.6	75	76%	18	+3.8
3	Caleb Sturgis	Los Angeles Chargers	64.6	34	53%	16	+2.4
4	Bradley Pinion	San Francisco 49ers	64.5	77	68%	25	−3.4
5	Graham Gano	Carolina Panthers	64.4	61	77%	14	−1.6
6	Wil Lutz	New Orleans Saints	64.4	101	63%	37	+0.2
7	Sam Martin	Detroit Lions	64.3	68	50%	34	+4.6
8	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	64.2	80	51%	39	−3.0
9	Dustin Hopkins	Washington Commanders	64.2	69	81%	13	−1.0
10	Sebastian Janikowski	Seattle Seahawks	64.2	72	58%	30	−0.4
11	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	64.1	81	70%	24	−0.4
12	Jason Myers	New York Jets	64.1	82	73%	22	+2.5
13	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	64.1	109	66%	35	+1.8
14	Matt Bosher	Atlanta Falcons	63.8	87	59%	36	−1.1
15	Cody Parkey	Chicago Bears	63.8	88	74%	22	−1.3
16	Ryan Succop	Tennessee Titans	63.8	70	66%	24	−7.1
17	Greg Joseph	Cleveland Browns	63.7	68	69%	20	+0.4
18	Phil Dawson	Arizona Cardinals	63.6	31	45%	17	+2.5
19	Randy Bullock	Cincinnati Bengals	63.6	78	58%	32	+1.0
20	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	63.6	92	63%	34	+4.7
21	Jason Sanders	Miami Dolphins	63.5	69	80%	13	−5.2
22	Chandler Catanzaro	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	63.4	65	80%	13	−1.9
23	Brandon McManus	Denver Broncos	63.3	70	60%	28	+2.9
24	Dan Bailey	Minnesota Vikings	63.0	65	54%	30	+0.1
25	Rigoberto Sanchez	Indianapolis Colts	63.0	86	69%	27	−1.0
26	Daniel Carlson	Las Vegas Raiders	62.8	53	55%	23	−3.2
27	Aldrick Rosas	New York Giants	62.8	81	63%	28	+1.2
28	Josh Lambo	Jacksonville Jaguars	62.6	52	69%	16	+2.9
29	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	62.5	92	63%	33	−0.8
30	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	62.2	82	62%	31	+7.6
31	Stephen Hauschka	Buffalo Bills	62.0	63	48%	33	+2.3
32	Mike Badgley	Los Angeles Chargers	61.7	54	17%	45	+5.5
33	Cairo Santos	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	61.6	48	40%	29	−2.5
34	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	60.9	95	55%	43	−11.9

All 2018 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Average Kickoff Distance in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2017 2016

More 2018 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

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