49ers free agent signings have been restricted by new kickoff rule which..

It’s possible that the 49ers sensed the NFL’s new kickoff regulation would pass. The new rule was adopted in the NFL’s annual league meetings on Tuesday, despite San Francisco’s vote against it. This highlights the motivation behind some of the 49ers’ offseason additions.

In the initial waves of free agency, San Francisco signed linebacker Ezekiel Turner and cornerbacks Chase Lucas and Isaac Yiadom. The 49ers also extended safety George Odum’s contract and re-signed linebacker Demetrius Flanningan-Fowles.

These players have one thing in common: during their careers, they have all been significant contributors to the special teams unit. Even Yiadom, who just finished his finest campaign as a defender, was heavily involved in special teams play for the Saints the previous year.

With kick returns suddenly a more prominent aspect of each game, the 49ers needed to shore up a kick coverage unit that struggled enough last season that it could easily be chalked up as a major problem in a world where there are returns on virtually every kick instead of just one or two per game. By bolstering their roster with special teams aces, they could be giving themselves a major advantage under the NFL’s new special teams-forward rule.

It also makes sense that the 49ers don’t have their return man just yet. San Francisco could just be waiting until the comp pick formula is no longer in play before signing a return specialist, but they might also be viewing a world where some of their playmakers are more useful on kickoffs than they’d been in the past.

With kick coverage units unable to run to cover the kick until the returner has the ball in their hands, it could set up a world where a player like Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk become more dangerous as returners without as much injury risk as there’d been before. Perhaps the 49ers will replace Ray-Ray McCloud and roll with that player as their return man. They could also turn to second-year WR Ronnie Bell, who handled kickoffs at various points last season. However, the door is open for a more proven, electric playmaker to have the ball in their hands on kickoffs with a chance to get behind blockers to make a play.How the 49ers choose to operate on returns will be a fascinating aspect of the lead up to the 2024 season. For now though it appears they’re gearing up their roster to be strong in kick coverage, and they could be angling toward doing the same for kick returns to try and take an early advantage of a league still figuring out how to play with the new rules.