NFL Competition Committee May Recommend Eliminating Kickoffs Because of Injuries

As the NFL continues exploring ways to make the sport safer, one potential rule change could see kickoffs eliminated in the future.

On Wednesday, ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert reported the NFL Competition Committee will recommend doing away with kickoffs if the rate of injuries remains high.    

Seifert noted that Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy, who is on the competition committee, relayed information presented by the NFL medical department at the owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, that showed the rate of concussions is five times higher on kickoffs than average plays. 

The league has attempted to reduce the number of kickoff returns during games in recent years, starting in 2011, when it moved kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35. Two years ago, the owners approved a rule change that moved touchbacks five yards to the 25-yard line.  

Seifert added there's "no indication" that kickoffs will be taken away in 2018, but it will take a "significant turnaround" for them to remain part of the game in the future. 

In data compiled by IQVIA for the NFL, the number of diagnosed concussions was up 13.5 percent last season from 2016 (243 to 281). 

The league has already adopted a new rule for 2018, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post, with players subject to a 15-yard penalties and possible ejection if they lower their heads to initiate contact.