Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower named the key kickoff and punt returners for Sunday’s season opener. Third-year pro Velus Jones Jr. will serve as the kickoff returner, while free agent signing DeAndre Carter is the punt returner. Both were listed on the first unofficial rankings as interchangeable between the two jobs, but that’s consistent with what’s been hinted at all offseason.

Jones is taking advantage of the new kickoff rule that requires kickers to place the ball within a “landing zone” from the 20-yard line to the end zone. Any kick that lands in that zone must be returned. The rules for touchbacks, which extend to the 30-yard line, are that if a ball lands in the zone and rolls into the end zone, kicks must land in the end zone. If the ball lands in front of the “landing zone,” it is whistled and moved to the 40-yard line.