2026 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 2026, Joey Slye (19.0) topped NFL kickoff specialists in average kickoff return allowed, ahead of Brandon Aubrey (19.9) and Ryan Fitzgerald (20.6). 33 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 4 returns). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 25.2. This season is in progress (through Week 7), so the numbers change each week.

NFL rule since 2025: a kickoff touchback starts the receiving team at its 35, so kickers aim for the landing zone short of the goal line and fewer touchbacks is better. Kickoff Points Added accounts for the rule, so it is the fair way to compare kickoff specialists across leagues and seasons.

Data through Week 7 of the 2026 season, updated October 24, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	Avg ret	Kickoffs	Avg dist	TB%	Returns	Points
1	Joey Slye	Tennessee Titans	19.0	20	56.4	35%	12	−3.6
2	Brandon Aubrey	Dallas Cowboys	19.9	32	56.9	16%	25	+5.3
3	Ryan Fitzgerald	Carolina Panthers	20.6	32	61.0	22%	25	+11.5
4	Cairo Santos	Chicago Bears	20.7	38	58.7	16%	32	+8.2
5	Daniel Carlson	New Orleans Saints	21.9	30	60.0	23%	23	+12.6
6	Jake Bates	Detroit Lions	23.3	30	61.2	13%	26	+2.2
7	Rigoberto Sanchez	Indianapolis Colts	24.0	23	59.5	9%	21	+2.5
8	Wil Lutz	Denver Broncos	24.3	27	58.7	7%	24	−1.2
9	Chad Ryland	Arizona Cardinals	24.4	28	62.2	25%	20	−2.7
10	Will Reichard	Minnesota Vikings	24.7	27	61.1	7%	25	+6.9
11	Chase McLaughlin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	24.9	32	61.3	6%	30	+6.5
12	Matt Gay	Las Vegas Raiders	24.9	31	59.5	13%	26	−2.1
13	Cameron Dicker	Los Angeles Chargers	24.9	22	61.9	23%	17	−2.6
14	Andy Borregales	New England Patriots	25.0	33	60.3	9%	30	−2.1
15	Evan McPherson	Cincinnati Bengals	25.0	29	60.7	14%	25	+1.2
16	Dominic Zvada	New York Giants	25.2	29	61.9	10%	26	+6.5
17	Jason Sanders	New York Jets	25.2	28	61.0	21%	22	+1.9
18	Eddy Pineiro	San Francisco 49ers	25.3	34	61.4	18%	28	−1.8
19	Nick Folk	Atlanta Falcons	25.3	29	61.1	0%	29	−0.5
20	Tyler Bass	Buffalo Bills	25.4	41	60.8	7%	38	−0.1
21	Andre Szmyt	Cleveland Browns	25.5	27	60.6	15%	23	−1.7
22	Harrison Mevis	Los Angeles Rams	26.3	24	60.0	17%	19	−4.2
23	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	26.4	23	60.5	9%	21	−1.0
24	Jason Myers	Seattle Seahawks	26.5	34	61.1	21%	27	−2.3
25	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	26.8	30	61.5	13%	26	+3.4
26	Drew Stevens	Washington Commanders	27.4	30	60.7	17%	24	−3.5
27	Spencer Shrader	Indianapolis Colts	28.3	14	61.2	14%	12	−0.2
28	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	28.5	31	62.2	16%	26	−5.1
29	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	28.5	32	62.3	22%	25	−6.0
30	Trey Smack	Green Bay Packers	28.7	29	60.9	14%	25	−6.1
31	Cam Little	Jacksonville Jaguars	28.9	32	61.6	9%	29	−4.5
32	Tyler Loop	Baltimore Ravens	29.1	30	62.8	30%	21	−4.0
33	Riley Patterson	Miami Dolphins	31.3	16	60.3	25%	12	−7.4

All 2026 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Average Kickoff Return Allowed in other seasons: 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

More 2026 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

Other 2026 NFL rankings

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