NFL Competition Committee looking into making roughing the passer reviewable

The NFL is an entity which is willing to make changes in their rules. Sometimes their knee jerk reactions to rule changes can backfire. We all remember the league making pass interference a reviewable play after the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams NFC Conference Championship game, right?

Well, the league’s Competition Committee met prior to the NFL Scouting Combine, and there are some big-time changes being put on the table for the group to consider. The first, and possibly the most controversial, would be to make roughing the passer reviewable by replay.

This per Judy Batista of the NFL’s official website:

While there have been some suspect roughing the passer calls this past year, the fact remains this rule change would be a hard sell for a lot on the competition committee. No one wants more replays in the game, especially on calls which are very subjective. It would be a safe assumption if this rule were to be changed, which is unlikely, that very few of these penalties would be overturned via replay.

Another rule which is being discussed is the “quarterback push” play.

This play was popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles this past season as the offense would gather behind Jalen Hurts and the surge from the offensive line, and those pushing from behind, became almost impossible to stop.

While some might see it as unfair, if the risk of injury is brought into the equation, that is when you could see real change take place with the “quarterback push” play being changed.

If you’re like me, you want to know who is on this committee who could be making these changes. The NFL commissioner selects the members of the Competition Committee, which currently includes:

• Rich McKay (Chairman) – president and CEO, Atlanta Falcons
• Katie Blackburn – executive vice president, Cincinnati Bengals
• Chris Grier – general manager, Miami Dolphins
• Stephen Jones – executive vice president, Dallas Cowboys
• John Mara – owner, NY Giants
• Ozzie Newsome – executive vice president, Baltimore Ravens
• Frank Reich – head coach, Carolina Panthers
• Ron Rivera – head coach, Washington Commanders
• Mike Tomlin – head coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Mike Vrabel – head coach, Tennessee Titans

The fact remains there is a ways to go before either of these rules get changed, along with any other potential rule changes.

In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes on the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the 2023 NFL offseason.