Report: NFL could change rule that helped Jalen Hurts immensely

Oct 3, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs off the field after loss against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL could consider a rule change to take away one move that did wonders for Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.

The league’s competition committee is expected to consider changes to rules that allow ball carriers to be pushed forward by their teammates, according to Paul Domowitch of The 33rd Team. The consideration comes after the Eagles regularly used as many as three players to push Hurts forward on quarterback sneaks, making short-yardage conversions almost inevitable.

Hurts converted 36 of the 40 sneaks he attempted on the season, and FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino said he would be “shocked” if the rule is not looked at because of this.

“It amounts to a rugby scrum,” Blandino said. “The NFL wants to showcase the athleticism and skill of our athletes. This is just not a skillful play. This is just a tactic that is not an aesthetically pleasing play, and I think the competition committee is going to take a look at it.”

The Eagles probably will not love this, but the tactic has apparently been viewed negatively across the league despite its legality. The real surprise is that it took this long for a team to figure out how to exploit it so blatantly.

This is far from the only rule change the league is expected to look at this offseason, though it may be one of the more noticeable ones.