2019 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 2019, Joey Slye (96%) led NFL kickoff specialists in kickoff touchback percentage, ahead of Bradley Pinion (91%) and Wil Lutz (79%). 32 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 30 kickoffs). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 61%.

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 2019 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	TB%	Kickoffs	Avg dist	Returns	Points
1	Joey Slye	Carolina Panthers	96%	69	65.0	3	−2.5
2	Bradley Pinion	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	91%	97	65.0	9	−4.8
3	Wil Lutz	New Orleans Saints	79%	94	64.7	20	−10.4
4	Greg Zuerlein	Los Angeles Rams	77%	83	63.6	17	−9.0
5	Dan Bailey	Minnesota Vikings	77%	86	64.8	20	+2.3
6	Brandon McManus	Denver Broncos	76%	72	64.4	17	+0.2
7	Rigoberto Sanchez	Indianapolis Colts	76%	79	64.6	19	−3.9
8	Dustin Hopkins	Washington Commanders	74%	65	64.6	17	+1.2
9	Jason Sanders	Miami Dolphins	73%	67	63.7	18	−4.9
10	Aldrick Rosas	New York Giants	71%	70	63.1	19	+1.1
11	Jason Myers	Seattle Seahawks	70%	84	63.1	25	−4.1
12	Randy Bullock	Cincinnati Bengals	70%	66	64.0	19	+2.6
13	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	66%	79	63.7	27	−6.3
14	Josh Lambo	Jacksonville Jaguars	66%	35	63.6	12	+1.8
15	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	62%	97	63.4	37	+8.4
16	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	61%	80	62.9	30	−1.6
17	Ty Long	Los Angeles Chargers	61%	46	64.4	18	−5.4
18	Jake Bailey	New England Patriots	60%	63	62.6	23	+1.2
19	Stephen Hauschka	Buffalo Bills	59%	71	63.4	29	−5.5
20	Younghoe Koo	Atlanta Falcons	57%	47	63.9	20	+19.4
21	Brett Maher	Dallas Cowboys	55%	65	63.3	28	−1.7
22	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	54%	105	63.0	48	−5.3
23	Daniel Carlson	Las Vegas Raiders	54%	70	64.0	32	+5.9
24	Zane Gonzalez	Arizona Cardinals	54%	83	63.1	36	+4.1
25	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	53%	80	63.6	38	+10.4
26	Eddy Pineiro	Chicago Bears	52%	50	62.5	22	−1.5
27	Mitch Wishnowsky	San Francisco 49ers	51%	96	63.6	46	+0.8
28	Sam Ficken	New York Jets	49%	59	63.2	30	+4.0
29	Logan Cooke	Jacksonville Jaguars	44%	36	63.9	20	−0.3
30	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	43%	72	63.2	41	−1.0
31	Austin Seibert	Cleveland Browns	40%	75	63.4	44	+10.3
32	Sam Martin	Detroit Lions	28%	61	61.0	43	+6.7

All 2019 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Kickoff Touchback Percentage in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2018 2017 2016

More 2019 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

Other 2019 NFL rankings

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