NFL owners will vote on a series of proposed rule changes next week, and two of them appear to have a good chance of passing.
One significant rule change likely to pass is one that will allow for greater communication between referees and officials in New York, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. This would allow the officiating department in New York to advise on-field officials using video replay and provide help to correct a number of calls, including penalty enforcement. Pelissero added that the rule change has “strong support” among the league’s coaches.
The #Ravens have withdrawn their proposal to add an eighth official off the field (AKA the “sky judge”), but the competition committee’s proposal for expanded booth-to-official communication with video has strong support among coaches and is likely to pass next week, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 16, 2021
The second rule that appears to have significant support is one that will ease restrictions on which positions are allowed to wear certain jersey numbers, which has also gained “strong support” among teams.
Another proposal that has strong support among NFL teams, per sources: Easing restrictions on who can wear which jersey numbers.
There are some hurdles for veteran players to change their numbers. But get ready to see some receivers and running backs wearing single-digits soon.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 16, 2021
Pelissero notes that the proposal to allow teams to attempt a 4th-and-15 play instead of an onside kick is unlikely to be adopted.
The new communication rule for officials likely brings about the most significant change here. It’s not quite the same as the sky judge proposals of the past, but it seems likely to help referees going forward, and hopefully cut down on blatant missed calls.
