Kevin Seifert, an ESPN Staff Writer with over two decades of NFL coverage experience, reports from Orlando, Florida. On March 26, 2024, NFL owners convened to enact several significant changes to the league’s operations. Among these were the decision to push the trade deadline to the Tuesday following Week 9 and the approval of a substantial expansion of the league’s replay assist program.
The expanded replay assist now includes three penalty categories: intentional grounding, roughing the passer, and hits out of bounds. This enhancement allows replay officials to advise on these penalties, although they cannot initiate a formal review or suggest a penalty be imposed. Instead, they can recommend reversing a penalty in real-time when clear and undeniable video evidence is available. This marks a departure from the previous scope of replay assist, which focused on calls like catch/no-catch decisions, possession, and down by contact situations.
Another pivotal adjustment is the authorization for teams to designate a practice squad player as their emergency third quarterback for game days, a change from the previous requirement for this player to be part of the 53-man roster. This decision was part of a series of moves that also saw the approval of a significant overhaul of the kickoff procedure.
The introduction of replay officials to penalty enforcement is a groundbreaking move for the NFL. It aims to enhance the accuracy of penalty calls by allowing replay officials to suggest penalty reversals based on “specific, objective aspects of a play” when there is clear and obvious video evidence. This initiative seeks to address issues like the high number of intentional grounding penalties, which saw 62 flags thrown in 2023, the highest in a season since at least 2000.
Rich McKay, the competition committee chairman, highlighted the complexity of the intentional grounding call and the potential for replay assist to improve decision-making. He referenced the concept of a “sky judge,” a proposal by Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, as a precursor to this expansion. McKay emphasized the importance of on-field officiation but acknowledged the role of replay assist in ensuring the accuracy of calls.
In addition to these changes, NFL owners also approved a second preseason trial of providing the “Hawk-Eye” replay feed in coaches’ booths, a program set to extend into the regular season in 2025. Furthermore, a new rule prohibits the swivel hip-drop tackling technique, and teams can now earn a third challenge after one successful challenge during a game, enhancing the strategic aspect of game management.
These decisions reflect the NFL’s ongoing commitment to improving the game’s integrity and fairness through technological advancements and rule adjustments.