NFL owners approve kickoff, OT, replay assist rule changes
By: ESPN.comNFL owners approved a variety of rule changes Tuesday, including a modification of the dynamic kickoff that will place the ball after touchbacks at the 35-yard line and a tweak to the regular-season overtime period to mirror postseason rules.
The kickoff proposal, submitted by the competition committee, was broken into two parts by owners Tuesday.
While owners approved moving the touchback spot from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, proposed changes to onside kick rules were tabled by owners for more discussion at meetings scheduled for May. The committee had proposed some mild alignment tweaks and also suggested eliminating the requirement that onside kicks can occur only in the fourth quarter.
The NFL projects that its kickoff return rate will rise to between 60% and 70% with touchbacks moved to the 35-yard line, competition committee chairman Rich McKay said last week.
Both teams will now be able to possess the ball in overtime in the regular season, even if a team scores an offensive touchdown on its first possession after the proposal, submitted by the Philadelphia Eagles, was passed by owners Tuesday. The original proposal was for a 15-minute overtime period, but that was amended to 10 minutes.
Owners also approved proposals to expand the league's replay-assist system. The on-site replay official will be permitted to reverse flags that are thrown for hits to defenseless players, along with fouls for face mask, horse collar, tripping and running into/roughing the kicker. The replay official will not be permitted to call a penalty for a play in which no flag was thrown, however.
Meanwhile, Detroit's proposal to eliminate an automatic first down as a penalty imposed for defensive holding and illegal contact did not pass, despite the Lions' pleas.
The Lions' bylaw proposal to make playoff seeding based on regular-season records as the guiding principle, rather than division championships was tabled for further discussion.
Other proposals passed by owners on Tuesday, included:
- A resolution from the Pittsburgh Steelers to allow some direct contact between pending free agents and teams that are pursuing them during the three-day negotiating window that precedes the opening of the league year.
- A change submitted by multiple teams that would allow preparing K-balls that are used for kicking before game day as teams are allowed to do with the balls that are used on other plays.
- Proposals by the competition committee allowing two players to be designated to return from injured reserve if they are placed on IR when rosters are reduced to 53, granting playoff teams two more returns from IR spots in the postseason, and using point differential as the third tiebreaker on waiver claims.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.
