NFL owners pass controversial rule among changes approved at annual owners meeting

Among a bevy of NFL rule changes to come out of the owners meetings in Arizona this week, the definition of a “launch” by a player into another player has been tweaked. Now, a launch will be defined as “leaving one or both feet.”

In the 2022 NFL rulebook, a launch is “an illegal launch if a player (i) leaves both feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into his opponent, and (ii) uses any part of his helmet to initiate forcible contact against any part of his opponent’s body.” That doesn’t apply to contact against a ball carrier, unless they are a defenseless player (another term spelled out in the rulebook.)

The expanded inclusion of a single-footed launch into the rule is another step to cut down on the whiplashing hits that can be dealt out when a defender or blocker bursts upward into an opponent in a short area — especially hits that are laid to the head, neck and shoulder region.

Changing the definition of a launch was a decision made by the NFL’s competition committee and was not a rule change proposed by any of the 32 franchises.

Along with altering the definition of a launch on the field, the competition committee eschewed some terms in an attempt to clarify rules around the use of helmets. Under Article 8, subsection i of the personal fouls section of the rules, the competition committee has dropped the “butt, spear, or ram” language. Correspondingly, those actions will be incorporated into the impermissible use of the helmet.

Under the 2022 league rules, it’s a foul if “a player lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent.”

Including more specific verbiage could go a decent ways to clarifying the rule.

And while it will take these rules tweaks being applied in-game to see how they really work, it’s a signal that the NFL continues to assess ways to limit high, dangerous hits.

Another rule change will tweak some NFL aesthetics

NFL players have a new number they can wear. The NFL owners have approved a proposal that will allow players to wear the No. 0.

“I don’t think there was any discussion, and we voted,” Falcons president/competition committee co-chair Rich McKay said.

The proposal was put forth by the Philadelphia Eagles. It is the second major change to roster numbers in the past three seasons after the NFL owners relaxed jersey number designations ahead of the 2021 season.

All non-lineman will be eligible to wear the No. 0.

“This is one thing that could help us in that challenge, because we do have some players that tend to like the single digit,” McKay said. “Numbers are more problematic than they’ve ever been, so this one had very little pushback.”