NFL Coaches Weigh In on Tush Push Rule Change Debate, Discuss Injury Risks

The annual league meetings take place this week, and coaches will determine the future of the Philadelphia Eagles' signature "tush push" play.

The Green Bay Packers proposed banning the play, also known as the "Brotherly Shove," and that proposal reportedly has "support" within the NFL's competition committee.

Ahead of the vote at league meetings, coaches from around the NFL gave their thoughts on the play (h/t The Athletic's Jayna Bardahl).

After the Packers proposed banning the tush push, general manager Brian Gutekunst admitted that one of his reasons is that his team is "not very successful against it."

Some coaches don't buy into that reasoning being enough to eliminate the tush push from the game.

“It’s tough to punish a team for being really good at something," Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said.

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski pointed to the lack of evidence relating to injuries as a reason for keeping the tush push.

“Yeah, I don’t know that it’s something that needs to be legislated out of the game," he said. "The injury data’s not there. So I would be in favor of keeping the rules as they are. You’re welcome, Coach (Nick) Sirianni.”

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh leaned on the side of not banning the tush push because of the language used in the proposal, though he added that a broader ban of players pushing other players might be the way to go.

“If you want to be more consistent, just take all of those kind of pushing situations out of the game. Downfield or wherever they are," he said. "You can’t push the quarterback, maybe we shouldn’t be able to push the guards either. We can’t push the defensive linemen on field-goal rush, why are we pushing the guards? If you want to make that a rule, I think it might make sense to make it comprehensive, but right now, it’s pretty narrowly written. We’ll have to see what happens.”

Harbaugh also said that "if it’s determined that it’s an injury risk play," the league needs to address it, but if it's not an injury risk, "it’s just a play in football."

While there's plenty of support for keeping the tush push, other coaches are ready to see it go.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid pointed to potential injuries caused by the play.

“There’s a whole medical side to it," he said. "I give (the Eagles) credit because they’ve done a heck of a job with it. It’s a tough play to stop. But then you’re listening to the medical side and you probably can go either way with it. If it’s putting a player in a bad position, then you probably have to do something about it. But if it’s not, I think it’s a heck of a play.”

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott also expressed concern about injuries.

“My biggest concern is the health and safety of the players, first and foremost," he said. "It’s added force and then the posture of the players being asked to execute that type of play. That’s where my concern comes in."

The future of the tush push should be determined after this week. If it's banned, the Eagles will have to find a new way to move the ball forward in short-yardage situations.