NFL Team Reportedly Proposes Making Roughing the Passer Penalties Reviewable

Roughing the passer penalties have become a major point of controversy in the NFL in recent years. At least one team is hoping to add some accountability to the situation.

According to Judy Battista of NFL.com, that team has proposed making roughing the passer penalties reviewable, with the NFL Competition Committee set to discuss the matter further on Monday.

Mark Maske of The Washington Post reported that the team in question was the Los Angeles Rams.

Such a measure faces long odds, however. Per that report, the "early indication is little appetite in the room for making it reviewable."

The committee reportedly already reviewed 80 roughing the passer penalties and only found three that they deemed potentially questionable calls, per Battista.

Part of the ongoing debate is "sling vs. slam" on hits of the quarterback, with Battista noting that "slam is problematic—when a defender picks up the QB in the air and slams him on the ground. Slinging is more considered the natural progression."

Battista added that the competition committee won't approve making roughing the passer penalties reviewable, but noted that the proposal will still go in front of the owners for the league meetings in March.

The committee reportedly spent 90 minutes in general discussing officiating, with a major topic trying to foster more consistency between different crews.

NFL fans might push back against the idea that only three roughing the passer calls were questionable from this past season, as a number of calls became the focal point of discourse surrounding the NFL throughout the 2022 season.

But the NFL has also made it abundantly clear that protecting quarterbacks is its first priority, questionable calls or not.

"If you don't have a quarterback, you don't have a chance to win," NFL executive vice president of officiating Troy Vincent said in October.

In other words, elite quarterback play draws intrigue, and intrigue draws ratings. So don't expect the league to soften its stance on protecting quarterbacks—or put officials interpreting those rules under additional scrutiny by subjecting their calls to replay review—any time soon.