Practice and preparation are as important on special teams as they are in the other phases of a football game. Yet when he steps onto the deep part of the field and the opposing team's punter receives the snap, Buffalo Bills cornerback Brandon Codrington has just one thought on his mind.
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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Laviska Shenault (15) was a second-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. Derek Gee/Buffalo News
"Every time I’m on punt return – and I think you can see this on the film – I’m trying to get vertical and score," the NFL All-Rookie Team punt returner following the Bills' voluntary practice Tuesday afternoon in Orchard Park.
Laviska Shenault Jr., a wide receiver selected in the second round of the 2020 draft, has a similar mindset when he's fielding kickoffs. He must keep the NFL's new rules in mind, including the recent change that spots the ball at the 35-yard line on a touchback, and he must also consider numerous other factors while the ball soars through the air.
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Shenault learned long ago, however, why it's necessary to not dwell on the role, responsibility and effectiveness of his 10 teammates on the field for a kickoff return.
"Honestly, there are jitters," said the 26-year-old playmaker, who signed a one-year contract with the Bills this offseason. "I feel like this game is 90% mental. I’m just in my head talking, thinking – and bro, at the end of the day, I’m just waiting for the ball to come down. Let me catch the ball and start running."
Another loss in the AFC championship game led the Bills to add several defensive linemen, including veteran edge rusher Joey Bosa, and they improved their secondary by using their first-round draft pick on cornerback Maxwell Hairston. But special teams were also a focal point as coach Sean McDermott decided how to position Buffalo for a Super Bowl run in 2025.
He replaced former special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley in February with veteran assistant coach Chris Tabor. Though Tabor is working to improve the Bills' field-goal and punting units, he's also trying to get his returners to create more splash plays in 2025.
Success starts with fundamentals and blocking schemes.
There's a proper way to field the ball. Situational awareness matters.
For punts, Codrington must have his feet in a balanced position. That way, he's able to cut in either direction as soon as he catches the ball. He has to monitor the release of the gunners, then make one or both miss. The flight of the ball, hang time and weather are important factors while he reads and reacts. He made some exceptional plays as a rookie to carve out a role as an undrafted free agent from North Carolina Central, but there were also mistakes that he wants to avoid this season.
Codrington, 24, ranked fourth in the NFL last season with 313 punt-return yards and 11.6 yards per return. He had a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown called back in Week 13 because of a holding penalty against safety Cole Bishop. Codrington also had returns of 25, 22, 18 and 14 yards, proving to the Bills that the dynamic qualities that he showed in college can translate to the NFL.
In Week 8, on the other hand, Codrington mistakenly fielded a punt at the goal line and returned it for just 12 yards. In Week 10, he caught the opening kickoff 4 yards deep into the end zone and returned it to the 22 – a net loss of 8 yards compared to a touchback. On another kickoff, he brought the ball out from 2 yards deep and fumbled.
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Bills cornerback Brandon Codrington signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2024. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
A hamstring injury prevented Codrington from playing against the Denver Broncos in the AFC wild-card playoff game – Khalil Shakir fielded punts in his stead – and he was a healthy scratch against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round and in the AFC championship game.
To avoid a similar situation, Codrington wants to show his coaches he can make an impact on multiple special-teams units and provide reliable play as a reserve cornerback. He played just 69 snaps on defense last season, or 6% of his playing time.
"No harsh feelings, no ill-will," Codrington said. "Using that to know I have to work hard, be better and be more valuable, whether that’s being on more than one special-teams unit or being reliable on defense. That’s my biggest mindset this year, is being more reliable on both multiple special-teams units and defense. I have to make more of an impact in everything this year."
Codrington also made an impact on kickoff returns, averaging the seventh-most yards (27.8). The Bills want their improved defense to lead to fewer kickoffs for their opponents in 2025, but the rule changes should create more opportunities for their returners to make explosive plays.
For Shenault to make the Bills' 53-man roster, he'll need to prove to coaches and general manager Brandon Beane that he can be a game-changing presence on dynamic kickoff returns, which introduced another layer of strategy in 2024.
Shenault has only one offensive touchdown since September 2022, a 41-yard run while with the Carolina Panthers, and he hasn't had more than 32 targets in a season since 2021, when he had 100. Most of his production came as a rookie out of Colorado, when he was catching passes from Gardner Minshew and Mike Glennon in Jacksonville. Shenault is a special athlete, though, and in Buffalo, he has a chance to take advantage of the new kickoff rules.
In an effort to produce longer returns, the NFL tweaked how blockers on the return team are allowed to line up in the landing zone for 2025. Last season, the NFL had 59 returns of 40 or more yards, the most since 2016. On kickoff returns, the Bills ranked 25th in average yards (25.9) – only two of 40-plus yards – an increase of more than 5 yards from 2023.
The Bills' longest kickoff return last season was Codrington's 53-yard run against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. The changes increased returns by 11% from 2023 to 2024, and the rate of concussions on those plays dropped 43%, according to the NFL.
"The challenge is, score as many touchdowns as possible," said Shenault, who has been on four teams in five NFL seasons. "There’s nothing difficult about it. I’m very capable and confident. The sky’s the limit with the way the rules are now."
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To avoid a touchback, the kicking team must land the ball between the goal line and 20-yard line. If the ball falls short, it's spotted at the 40-yard line. The receiving team can have up to two returners in the landing zone, and they can move any time before or during when the ball is kicked.
Returners must assess where the ball is being kicked, how it's being kicked and where to cut off the ball's progress to prevent it from reaching the end zone and how weather may affect its flight path. They must follow their blocks, including the different counters a special teams coordinator may implement to confuse the kicking team's coverage unit, then find a seam and run through it.
The mission is the same on punt and kickoff returns: find open field to score or position the offense to score.
"The league wants every play to be watchable," Tabor said. "And I think that’s going to apply more pressure to the kickoff return teams and kickoff teams, and so that’s exciting in our area because obviously if they score on us, we have kickoff return time, and it’s an opportunity to flip the momentum back."
Not long ago, returners produced some of the most exciting plays in the NFL.
Brian Mitchell, Allen Rossum, Dante Hall, Josh Cribbs, Darren Sproles, Cordarrelle Patterson, Desmond Howard, Devin Hester, Ted Ginn Jr. and Terrence McGee were among the returners who showed the impact a dynamic athlete can have on special teams.
Over the years, rule changes led to fewer kickoff returns. In 2024, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin led the NFL with 904 yards on 27 returns. During Hall's best season in Kansas City, he had 1,718 yards on 68 returns.
There will be another layer of strategy in 2025 as coaches decide whether to give their opponent the ball at the 35-yard line for a touchback or rely on their coverage unit to tackle the returner before he reaches that spot on the field.
In Shenault and Codrington, the Bills have two returners who want to show they can change the game. It's taken time, but Shenault envisions he can make the same type of impact as some of the great returners in NFL history.
"I’m not gonna lie: I feel like, slowly, I’m starting to understand and see that I can be that guy," Shenault said. "I’m starting to put myself with those guys, so I just have to lock in and do it."
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