2018 NFL Kickoff Touchback Percentage Leaders

The share of a kickoff specialist's kickoffs that were touchbacks. High means power; whether it is good depends on the rules and the coach's plan.

More is better under this season's rules: a touchback ends the play with no return. Only specialists with enough kickoffs are ranked. In 2018, Dustin Hopkins (81%) led NFL kickoff specialists in kickoff touchback percentage, ahead of Chandler Catanzaro (80%) and Jason Sanders (80%). 34 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 30 kickoffs). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 63%.

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

All 2018 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Kickoff Touchback Percentage in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2017 2016

More 2018 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

Other 2018 NFL rankings

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