Report: Kickoff rule may be changed further

NFL camps open this week. The league published its 2018 rulebook June 28. And yet the league apparently still isn’t done tinkering with its kickoff rule. According to a report Monday night by ESPN, an NFL spokesperson said the league is still considering “minor” changes to the rule, which is already a change from last season. Per the report, the league would have to recall the current rulebook and republish a revised edition should a change be made at this point.

“The NFL officiating and football operations staff, with competition committee approval, may make some minor tweaks to the language to further clarify the rule. If so, that information would be circulated to all clubs and the rule book updated accordingly,” league spokesman Michael Signora told ESPN.

Kickoff rules were changed out of concern for player safety, especially concussions. In an effort to lower the number of high-impact collisions on kickoffs, the league outlawed running starts by the kicking team, mandated where players on the return team may line up, and eliminated wedge blocks – where players on the return team run together to form a V-shaped wall of blockers.

It is that last rule that reportedly has officials concerned. In essence, an official would need to know where a player lined up before the kickoff in order to know if a penalty occurred.

The ESPN report states “the timing of the next round of changes is unclear. Referees and other game officials will circulate through training camps this summer to better understand how teams plan to implement the new rule.” (Reuters)