2021 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 2021, Greg Joseph (82%) led NFL kickoff specialists in kickoff touchback percentage, ahead of Brandon McManus (82%) and Greg Zuerlein (81%). 34 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 30 kickoffs). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 56%.

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 2021 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	TB%	Kickoffs	Avg dist	Returns	Points
1	Greg Joseph	Minnesota Vikings	82%	93	64.4	17	−0.6
2	Brandon McManus	Denver Broncos	82%	76	65.1	14	−17.3
3	Greg Zuerlein	Dallas Cowboys	81%	99	64.4	18	−7.2
4	Matt Prater	Arizona Cardinals	80%	91	64.9	18	+0.3
5	Bradley Pinion	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	80%	89	64.2	17	−8.3
6	Jason Sanders	Miami Dolphins	73%	77	63.7	20	+2.6
7	Dustin Hopkins	Los Angeles Chargers	72%	98	64.0	27	+7.3
8	Matt Gay	Los Angeles Rams	66%	99	62.3	31	+0.4
9	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	66%	93	63.0	32	−0.6
10	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	65%	94	64.4	33	−5.4
11	Joey Slye	Washington Commanders	64%	58	63.6	21	−1.8
12	Zane Gonzalez	Carolina Panthers	64%	55	64.9	20	−6.7
13	Matt Ammendola	New York Jets	63%	43	63.0	16	−0.7
14	Daniel Carlson	Las Vegas Raiders	61%	87	63.5	33	−3.2
15	Evan McPherson	Cincinnati Bengals	60%	91	63.5	35	+0.5
16	Tyler Bass	Buffalo Bills	57%	98	62.5	40	+12.1
17	Randy Bullock	Tennessee Titans	56%	89	63.8	39	+8.8
18	Jack Fox	Detroit Lions	56%	34	64.6	15	+0.1
19	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	54%	87	61.8	39	+0.3
20	Younghoe Koo	Atlanta Falcons	53%	55	62.9	25	+4.6
21	Brett Maher	New Orleans Saints	51%	35	63.7	17	+1.6
22	Rigoberto Sanchez	Indianapolis Colts	51%	93	64.0	46	+13.1
23	Cairo Santos	Chicago Bears	49%	69	64.0	35	+3.0
24	Brian Johnson	New Orleans Saints	47%	34	62.7	18	+0.3
25	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	47%	86	63.1	45	−2.5
26	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	46%	94	63.8	50	−4.4
27	Chase McLaughlin	Cleveland Browns	46%	68	63.8	37	+6.4
28	Jake Bailey	New England Patriots	44%	93	62.6	49	+6.1
29	Graham Gano	New York Giants	42%	64	61.5	36	+5.9
30	Tristan Vizcaino	Los Angeles Chargers	42%	31	64.4	18	+0.5
31	Mitch Wishnowsky	San Francisco 49ers	40%	53	63.2	32	−5.3
32	Jason Myers	Seattle Seahawks	38%	81	62.2	49	+13.0
33	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	38%	42	61.8	25	+2.4
34	Matthew Wright	Jacksonville Jaguars	17%	30	62.1	25	−11.3

All 2021 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Kickoff Touchback Percentage in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

More 2021 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

Other 2021 NFL rankings

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