NFL Rule Changes: New Jersey Number, Thursday Night Football, Guardian Caps
Several rule changes will be enacted for the 2023 NFL season.
Here's a look at three big ones ...
New Jersey Number
The number “0” is now eligible to be used on jerseys, a change proposed by the Philadelphia Eagles. You won’t see it on linemen on either side of the ball but all other players can adorn the number.
Many NFL players are excited about the new number. Jacksonville Jaguars star wideout Calvin Ridley has already announced he will be sporting the new number. New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones changed his Twitter name to “0” and dubbed himself an “Agent Zero” in his bio.
Kickers and punters are also now allowed to use any jersey number between 0-49 and 90-99.
Thursday Night Football
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is not a fan of the NFL's new Thursday Night Football rule change, which allows teams to play on Thursday twice per season. The reigning Super Bowl champions are the favorites to win the Super Bowl again and will likely be featured in many prime-time games.
Teams were previously limited to one appearance on TNF. It is a hot topic in the league because of the abbreviated recovery time for players between games.
Guardian Caps
The guardian caps that were worn during NFL training camps last season will now be required for every preseason practice, regular season and postseason practice with contact. Lineman, linebackers, running backs and fullbacks are the players required to wear the caps.
The rule is changed from last season when players were only required to wear the caps until the second preseason game. The research is clear: the impact of a helmet-to-helmet hit is reduced by around 20 percent when two players are wearing the cap.
Proposed by the competition committee, the NFL has clarified use of the helmet against an opponent by removing the “butt, ram, spear” language. New language expands the rule against using the helmet as a weapon, making it a foul if a player uses "any part of his helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent's head or neck area."
A 15-yard penalty will continue to be called if a player lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent. The league expects most of the penalties will be called on players in space. The rule also includes an exception for "incidental contact by the mask or the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle or block on an opponent."
More changes could be on the way, as the Washington Commanders could be sold at any moment now. The latest update is Dan Snyder could sell the Washington Commanders to Josh Harris, Mitchell Rales and Magic Johnson for $6 billion.
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