Ravens' Tucker hitting weight room to prepare for new kickoff format

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has changed his workout routine as he continues to prepare for the NFL's new kickoff format.

Tucker - the most accurate kicker in league history - said Thursday that he's bulking up ahead of the 2024 season.

"We are in the lab, and, more recently, my lab has actually been the weight room," Tucker said Thursday, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com. "This might be really surprising to a lot of you guys and a lot of my teammates because I don't (tend) to hang out in the weight room too frequently.

"But after watching a lot of these XFL plays over the last couple of years, the kicker seems to be involved in 20-25% of the tackles, so I've mixed it up a couple of times, I've gotten in there. But now I've got to get some more shrugs, get the traps going a little just to make sure I'm prepared for a little more contact."

The NFL approved a drastic new kickoff format inspired by the XFL. It allows teams to have up to two returners in the landing zone, while the remaining players on the receiving team are in the setup zone. Players in the setup zone and the kick coverage unit can't move until the kicked ball hits the ground or a returner fields it in the landing zone. The new rule encourages more kickoff returns, as the ball will be placed at the 30-yard line in the case of a touchback rather than the 25.

Kickers are expected to be more involved in stopping returns, and Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub recently said that kickers will likely be part of 25-40% of the tackles in those situations. In order to prevent kicker Harrison Butker from making several tackles throughout the season, the Chiefs are considering using safety Justin Reid for some of the team's new kicking needs.

Tucker and the Ravens have also been working on new ideas to make the transition to the kickoff format easier.

"Just like a pitcher tries to develop his stuff, I'm doing the same thing out here trying to figure out whichever way we can in our minds gain an advantage, gain an edge," Tucker said. "Whether that means putting the ball in different spots, making it challenging for a returner to scoop up the ball easily. All those things we're looking at right now."

Tucker hasn't practiced tackling since high school, notes ESPN's Jamison Hensley. The 34-year-old has recorded eight tackles in 195 career games, with his most recent tackle coming in December 2022.

Tucker - widely considered one of the greatest kickers of all time - has claimed seven Pro Bowl berths and eight All-Pro nods, including five first-team selections. Owner of the longest field goal in NFL history (66 yards), he's converted 90.2% of his career FG attempts.