NFL Competition Committee Proposes Rule Changes for Instant Replay, Onside Kicks, More

After teams made their proposals for rule changes next season, the NFL competition committee has offered its own proposals that will be considered by the owners.

In a summary of the proposed changes released on Wednesday, the competition committee proposed expanding replay review to include "objective aspects of a play and/or to address game administration issues when clear and obvious video evidence is present."

The other key proposal is to allow onside kicks at any time during a game as long as the kicking team is trailing.

The onside-kick change is part of a larger proposal about kickoff rules, with the other main note proposing moving starting field position on a kickoff touchback from the 30-yard line to the 35 in an effort to promote more returns.

Replay's reach has been a topic of conversation for some time. Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations, told reporters in December the competition committee would discuss adding certain penalties, like facemask, to the list of reviewable plays.

The league hasn't generally liked to make subjective plays part of the replay system.

Pass interference fell under that umbrella during the 2019 season after the infamous no-call in the NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, but Vincent admitted the experiment "failed miserably" that it was removed from the list after just one year.

The proposals from the competition committee will be voted on alongside three team proposals, including banning the Tush Push (proposed by the Green Bay Packers); eliminating the automatic first-down rule for defensive holding and illegal contact (proposed by the Detroit Lions); aligning overtime rules for the regular season and postseason (proposed by Philadelphia Eagles).

Teams will vote on the proposed rule changes at the annual league meetings taking place from March 30-April 2. A proposal requires 75 percent approval from the 32 team owners (24 votes) to pass.