If the NFL competition committee gets its way, a contentious tackling technique will be prohibited and kickoffs would be handled drastically starting in the 2024 season.

Additionally, the trade deadline for the league will be advanced by one week if the Pittsburgh Steelers’ plan receives enough support.

These and a few other subjects will be discussed starting on Sunday during the NFL’s annual conference, which takes place at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida.

Owners will hear ten recommendations for playing regulations, seven possible amendments to the league’s bylaws, and three resolutions over the course of three days. Of the 32 owners, 24 must approve any changes.

The adjustment to kickoff is the playing rules proposal that is likely to spark the greatest debate. It is a combination of the XFL’s previous two seasons’ configuration and is intended to put an end to rough returns collisions, which frequently result in injuries.

The NFL competition committee, which Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is a member of, is the one making the proposal.

Rich McKay, the Atlanta Falcons’ head of the committee, stated, “The configuration is too dangerous.” “We must devise strategies to increase safety. Simply said, we haven’t been able to increase player safety. In other words, touchbacks have become less of an event, but we haven’t made it safer.

The kicker would still tee up the ball at the 35-yard line under the proposed arrangement, but the other ten players would set up at the opposition 40 yards line. Nine players would be stationed between the 30 and 35 for the returning squad. Between the goal line and the 20, or the “landing zone,” would be occupied by two return men.

A returning player’s touch on the ball or its contact with the ground would signal the end of the action for blocks and defenders. When a ball enters the end zone and is touched back, the receiving team gains control at their 20. Possession would be at the 35 after a touchback on a ball that is kicked through the end zone or settles there.

“We like the configuration because we have to change the injury factor that this play created—we have to limit space and speed,” McKay stated.

The one-year proposal would limit the use of onside kicks to the fourth quarter and do away with the surprise onside kick. Following discussions at the NFL Combine with the league’s special teams coaches, it was approved.

McKay stated, “When you try to make change, there are always consequences.”

Although the NFL has attempted in the past to make the play safer, McKay acknowledged that the outcome has been an unusually high amount of touchbacks. The league saw 416 touchbacks and 45,000 return yards in 2010. Return yardage decreased to 13,000 by 2023, but touchbacks grew to 1,970.

Twelve of the thirteen kickoffs in last month’s Super Bowl ended in touchbacks, with neither the end zone nor the field of play.

He declared, “The kickoff proposal will impact scoring.” “Field position will be affected by 3-5 yards.”

From a total of 49 points per game in the 2020–19 COVID-19 season to 43.5 points in 2023, scoring has decreased.

There will likely be a lot of discussion about the suggestion to do away with the hip-drop tackle. In a hip-drop tackle, a defender encircles a player and drives him to the ground by lowering his weight onto his legs with his hips.

The NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, former player Troy Vincent, stated, “It’s something the committee wants to get out of the game.”

The NFL Players Association, which opposes the tackle’s elimination, has previously pushed back against Vincent. His reaction is a concerning increase in injuries brought on by the tackle.

According to Vincent, an athlete’s greatest advantage is their availability and durability. “Your dreams are not realized when your play has an injury rate that is 20–25 times higher than average.”V

The NFL trading deadline should be moved back to Tuesday after the ninth week of games, as the Steelers proposed in one of the seven bylaw amendments. As of right now, Tuesday follows the eighth week. A proposal to postpone the deadline until the tenth week has the support of six more clubs.

Other topics for debate include:

• Removing the prerequisite that a player be activated from injured reserve after one day on the active roster at the beginning of the season. A player can currently only be placed on injured reserve (IR) with the possibility to return during the season if he was included on the original 53-man roster.

• On game days, letting a quarterback from the practice squad fill in as the backup quarterback. Right now, the 53-man roster is required to include the third quarterback.

The quarterback sneak known as the “Tush Push,” which has gained popularity over the last two seasons thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles, is one play that will not be considered during the annual meeting. In an attempt to regulate it, the competition commission did not see enough information concerning injuries on the play.

Vincent stated, “It was best to say leave it alone.” “The Eagles are good at it.”

Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets: NBA Betting Preview Preview of the March 23, 2024, 10:00 PM EST game