CHARLOTTE — Raheem Blackshear was ready to get out on the field. Fresh off signing a new contract to return to the Carolina Panthers, the running back and return specialist sat down with the same ease and settled spirit he always carries. But he'd just heard a new rule had passed at the annual NFL owners meeting, moving kickoff touchbacks from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, and he was itching to test it out.

"Right now, I'm about to actually go catch," Blackshear shared, "so (I'm) going to see how it plays out."

Blackshear has been a part of kickoff changes before during his time in the NFL and with the Panthers. Last offseason, the league elected to move touchbacks to the 30-yard line. As a result, the return rate improved—with Blackshear clocking in at No. 2 overall in the league with 791 total return yards, averaging 25.5 yards per return—but touchbacks still constituted 64.3 percent of kickoffs.

Blackshear is already looking forward to the opportunities with the line being moved out 5 yards this coming season.

"I finally get a chance to bring the ball a lot more, so I'm excited for the rule," Blackshear said. "I feel like it makes a significant difference, just moving the ball back a little bit more so we try to get the kick return in play.

"A lot of time they're kicking into the back of the end zone, so it's kind of hard for returners to get it out. And that that little yardage, right, is that big of a difference."

While that little thing will have a ripple effect this season, there are a lot of big things making a big difference for Blackshear right now as well. One was retaining the entire coaching staff, both offensive and special teams, a change simply because it's never happened before in his four-year career.

"I'm excited to get to work with (special teams assistant) Daren Bates again. He just brings that energy, and I can't wait to bring that energy this year. I've been working on returns, kick returns to get better at it, so I'm excited," Blackshear said.

"It's never going to be easy in the NFL, so I feel like it plays a good part. I'm just finally getting a chance to know the system you're in, so I'm excited."

Another is the changes along the special teams protection front. The Panthers retention of Nick Scott though, safety and special teams ace, makes that easier.

"Nick Scott is a really good friend of mine, so it's awesome to have a guy like that," Blackshear bragged on his friend. "As soon as I signed, he called me and said, 'Man, I can't wait to get back with you.' So Nick is hopefully going to be one of the guys at my wedding."

Speaking of his wedding, that's the other big thing making big waves in Blackshear's life this offseason.

"I get married in two months," the Philadelphia native shared. "Well, one month now. I'm getting married in New Jersey. So Nick will be there. Chuba Hubbard ... there's a couple of other guys that's going to be there."

Having those guys there is vital to Blackshear as he moves into the next phase of his life with a wedding and new contract with the ones who helped him get here in the first place.

"I'm getting to move on to the next phase with teammates who just became my brother; you know, Chuba has been a big part of this whole recruiting process," Blackshear said. "He's been hitting me up every day, so you know that's my brother right there. I love him to death.

"He texted me as soon as he's seen (I signed), so he's one of the first people to see it, and he texted me like, 'Hey, come on, let's go work out.'"

Being able to return to the room with Hubbard, with his coaches, with the same special teams staff, and the only difference being a rule he sees benefitting him as a returner, was all part of the reason Blackshear wanted to return to the Panthers. More than anything, though, "this is home.

"This is a place I want to spend my years at, this is a great place to be at, and I feel like it doesn't get no better than North Carolina; I feel like our fan base is top tier to none, so a lot of fans here, they've been nothing but great to me and my family here, and I appreciate everything the Panthers have done for me."