CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – NFL owners approved three new measures and made a fourth permanent Thursday while also tabling a potential replacement for the onside kick.
Automatic replay of scoring plays and turnovers was made permanent the league announced.
Three players can now be designated to return from injured reserve, an increase from two.
Defenseless player protections on kickoffs and punts were also expanded in addition to preventing teams from manipulating the game clock by committing multiple dead-ball fouls while the clock is running – call it the Bill Belichick/Mike Vrabel rule.
The onside kick replacement rule – having a team elect to attempt a fourth-and-15 from their own 25 – was tabled for further research and debate.
