So, as I understand it, part of the reason for reducing the number of returned kicks is how many people are running at and into each other at full speed (referenced in the article mentioning concussions). Disincentivizing returns by making them near impossible to start from anywhere beyond the 5 (and often inside the end zone if the kick didn't sail past it entirely) is the current approach. Any attempt to solve this problem will be met with some resistance because some people just wanna see big muscly dudes slamming into each other (no shaming here) and don't care about the supposed dangers of returns.

So in regards to this particular view of the issue, I suppose the only middle ground between the good/bad old days (depending on your perspective), and the current ruleset, would be some set of rules that limits how fast players will be going when kicking and receiving teams clash. Now obviously you're not gonna have refs out there with radar guns like they're running a speed trap on the highway, nor are you likely to tie everyone but the kicker and a returner to a tackling dummy to slow them down. You'd have to somehow reduce the amount of time and distance available for each side to build up speed before they collide.

I don't know what would be the best way to approach that, and with the mentioned rules change being a stopgap to something else longterm I doubt the NFL intends that longterm rule change to increase the number of kick returns. Ultimately I think any solution like I mentioned above will probably be just as dissatisfying as the current ruleset, pretty much the equivalent of how the pro bowl became flag football. They'd probably need to do something drastic and creative to maintain the dynamic potential of a big return without the safety concerns that have caused them to become so uncommon, but I wouldn't really say drastic and creative change is in the NFL's playbook. So I guess ultimately my conclusion is don't hold your breath on this getting better.