2026 NFL Kickoff Returns Allowed Leaders

Kickoffs the receiving team brought out of the end zone. More returns mean more chances for a big return, but also more chances to be tackled short.

Compare with return yards allowed. In 2026, Tyler Bass (38) led NFL kickoff specialists in kickoff returns allowed, ahead of Cairo Santos (32) and Andy Borregales (30). 37 kickoff specialists qualify. 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	Returns	Kickoffs	Avg dist	TB%	Points
1	Tyler Bass	Buffalo Bills	38	41	60.8	7%	−0.1
2	Cairo Santos	Chicago Bears	32	38	58.7	16%	+8.2
3	Andy Borregales	New England Patriots	30	33	60.3	9%	−2.1
4	Chase McLaughlin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	30	32	61.3	6%	+6.5
5	Cam Little	Jacksonville Jaguars	29	32	61.6	9%	−4.5
6	Nick Folk	Atlanta Falcons	29	29	61.1	0%	−0.5
7	Eddy Pineiro	San Francisco 49ers	28	34	61.4	18%	−1.8
8	Jason Myers	Seattle Seahawks	27	34	61.1	21%	−2.3
9	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	26	31	62.2	16%	−5.1
10	Matt Gay	Las Vegas Raiders	26	31	59.5	13%	−2.1
11	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	26	30	61.5	13%	+3.4
12	Jake Bates	Detroit Lions	26	30	61.2	13%	+2.2
13	Dominic Zvada	New York Giants	26	29	61.9	10%	+6.5
14	Brandon Aubrey	Dallas Cowboys	25	32	56.9	16%	+5.3
15	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	25	32	62.3	22%	−6.0
16	Ryan Fitzgerald	Carolina Panthers	25	32	61.0	22%	+11.5
17	Evan McPherson	Cincinnati Bengals	25	29	60.7	14%	+1.2
18	Trey Smack	Green Bay Packers	25	29	60.9	14%	−6.1
19	Will Reichard	Minnesota Vikings	25	27	61.1	7%	+6.9
20	Drew Stevens	Washington Commanders	24	30	60.7	17%	−3.5
21	Wil Lutz	Denver Broncos	24	27	58.7	7%	−1.2
22	Daniel Carlson	New Orleans Saints	23	30	60.0	23%	+12.6
23	Andre Szmyt	Cleveland Browns	23	27	60.6	15%	−1.7
24	Jason Sanders	New York Jets	22	28	61.0	21%	+1.9
25	Tyler Loop	Baltimore Ravens	21	30	62.8	30%	−4.0
26	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	21	23	60.5	9%	−1.0
27	Rigoberto Sanchez	Indianapolis Colts	21	23	59.5	9%	+2.5
28	Chad Ryland	Arizona Cardinals	20	28	62.2	25%	−2.7
29	Harrison Mevis	Los Angeles Rams	19	24	60.0	17%	−4.2
30	Cameron Dicker	Los Angeles Chargers	17	22	61.9	23%	−2.6
31	Joey Slye	Tennessee Titans	12	20	56.4	35%	−3.6
32	Riley Patterson	Miami Dolphins	12	16	60.3	25%	−7.4
33	Spencer Shrader	Indianapolis Colts	12	14	61.2	14%	−0.2
34	Ethan Evans	Los Angeles Rams	2	4	64.0	50%	−3.2
35	Jake Bailey	Atlanta Falcons	1	3	51.7	67%	−1.2
36	Blake Grupe	Los Angeles Rams	1	1	58.0	0%	−1.2
37	Justin Reid	New Orleans Saints	1	1	60.0	0%	−0.5

All 2026 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

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

More 2026 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

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