NFL owners have unanimously decided to push back the trade deadline by one week, now scheduled for the Tuesday following Week 9. Moreover, they have given the green light to a substantial expansion of the league’s replay assist program.
The list of plays that replay assist can advise officials on has been expanded to include three penalty categories: intentional grounding, roughing the passer, and hits out of bounds.
They also reached an agreement to allow teams to designate a practice squad player as their emergency No. 3 quarterback on game days. Last season, this player had to be a member of the 53-man roster. These changes were made alongside a significant overhaul of the kickoff.
In a new development, the NFL has expanded the role of replay officials to include penalty enforcement. For the first time, these officials will have the authority to intervene in specific instances where clear and obvious video evidence is present. However, they cannot initiate a formal review or suggest a penalty flag be thrown. Their focus will be on objective aspects of a play, such as intentional grounding, roughing the passer, or hits out of bounds. Previously, replay officials only provided advice on calls like catch/no-catch, possession, and down by contact, which on-field referees had the discretion to accept or reject.
The committee paid special attention to intentional grounding, as officials threw 62 flags for it in 2023, the highest number in a season since at least 2000. However, the decision to expand replay assistance was also influenced by situations where a defender was penalized for roughing the passer due to a head hit, even though replays clearly showed that the contact was below the head. This expansion is a step towards implementing the NFL’s own version of a “sky judge,” while still giving the on-field referee the ultimate authority.
According to Rich McKay, the chairman of the competition committee, the call for intentional grounding was a difficult one. McKay acknowledged that this particular call has many elements and often results in a penalty for the entire crew. Referees and other officials have to gather and discuss the situation before making a decision. McKay mentioned that it would be preferable for the person responsible for communication to simply confirm whether the quarterback was in the pocket or not. If there are additional factors to consider, the communication would be limited to only those aspects that were previously defined in the objective findings.
“But in our view, this is the direction replay assistance can take, thanks to the concept that Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid advocated for and discussed years ago – the idea of a sky judge. We have always been hesitant about officiating the game solely through replay, as there is simply too much happening on the field. However, we appreciate their notion that replay assistance can contribute to making accurate calls, and this is merely another stride in that direction.”
In addition to expanding the replay assist, shifting the trade deadline, and tweaking the No. 3 quarterback rule, NFL owners have also approved a second consecutive preseason trial of providing coaches’ booths with the “Hawk-Eye” feed for replays. This means that instead of relying solely on the broadcast video, coaches will now have access to the “Hawk-Eye” feed during games. Starting in 2025, this program will expand into the regular season as well.
Owners voted on Monday to ban the swivel hip-drop tackling technique and also approved a new rule that allows teams to have a third challenge after a successful challenge during a game.
