With the NFL draft just having on April 29th many feel as this is the unofficial beginning of a new season. Rookies are going to camp and many teams are kicking into full gear for the offseason. 

For example, the Philadelphia Eagles have proposed a rule that may seem insignificant to many fans but is very dear to players. They proposed and got approved the rule allowing players to wear the number zero and allowing punters/kickers wear numbers 0-49 and 90-99 both of which were previously not allowed by the league despite players’ great desire for the numbers. 

Another rule is the tripping rule. This rule makes it illegal to intentionally trip a fellow player in an effort to tackle him and if a player is caught doing this their team will receive a 15 yard personal foul penalty.

Pre Season has been a sore topic for many players because of its dangerous nature for little to no reward since the games don’t count. A rule that was proposed and approved allows for teams to keep their offseason 90 man roster until the preseason is over and have one day to shorten it down to the traditional 53 man roster. This may be so teams can see players in action or this may be in hopes to play less starters in the preseason in efforts to reduce injuries of star players. 

As it is very early in the offseason and there is much more time for the NFL to approve rules, not many game changing rules or regulations have been put in place yet. But some have been thought up by teams in hopes of getting them approved. 

One of the biggest discrepancies last season when it came to penalty calls in games was roughing the passer penalties. Referees seemed to have forgotten that quarterbacks are allowed to be tackled too and called just about every sack last season a “roughing the passer” penalty. Many veterans and current players of the league flocked to social media to voice their disgust with the calls. Not only disgust from players and retired players came from the calls but also influential moments in games were ruined by a poor call. The Los Angeles Rams proposed that roughing the passer penalties be reviewable by referees right after the play which was previously not possible. This rule would hopefully help poor calls not ruin a team’s chances to win a game.

Many more changes are expected to be made as the offseason continues so if you are an NFL fan make sure to stay up to date.