NFL teams have proposed a total of nine rule changes in the offseason, and the Denver Broncos have suggested the league borrow the Alliance of American Football’s exciting revision of onside kickoffs.
Changes to NFL kickoff rules prior to the 2018 season rendered onside kicks almost useless, and the percentage of recovered onside kicks plummeted from 21 percent in 2017 to 7.5 percent last season.
The AAF has eliminated kickoffs entirely, with possession changes resulting in teams starting from their own 25-yard line. The league also eliminated traditional onside kicks in favor of a conditional “onside conversion” system.
In the AAF, if a team is trailing with under five minutes to play, they can elect to attempt a 4th-and-12 play from their own 28-yard line to keep possession of the ball after a scoring play.
The Broncos proposed an altered version of the AAF’s rule, which teams would only be eligible to use once per game. The proposed rule would have teams attempting a 4th-and-15 from their own 35-yard line, but there are no proposed restrictions on when the new onside play could be used.
Denver also offered two other proposed rule changes. You can read the entire list of proposals here.
Via NFL.com:
- By Denver; to amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add all fourth down plays that are spotted short of the line to gain or goal line to be subject to automatic review in the instant replay system.
- By Denver; to amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add all Try attempts (Extra point or Two-point conversion) to be subject to automatic review in the instant replay system.
