ORLANDO, Fla. — NFL owners unanimously passed a revamping of the catch rule that eliminates the provision about going to the ground.
To complete a catch, three things must now happen:
- Control of the ball;
- Two feet down or another body part;
- A football move, such as a third step; reaching/extending for the line-to-gain; or the ability to perform such an act.
Jesse James
Kelvin Benjamin
How are you going to determine that?
Great, more judgment calls by the officials?
- After a one-year experiment, a touchback will result in possession at the 25-yard line on a permanent basis.
- The officiating department in New York can instruct on-field game officials to eject a player for a flagrant non-football act when a foul for that act is called on the field.
- Makes permanent the liberalization of rules for timing, testing, and administering physical examinations to draft-eligible players at a club’s facility.
- For one year only, allows teams who place a player on waivers to sign that player as a free agent (teams had to wait for four games previously).
- Teams can now trade players from reserve/injured.
- The 10-day claiming period during the postseason is now 24 hours from the Saturday of the final regular season weekend through the conclusion of the final postseason game, except for waiver requests on Friday and Saturday of each week, which shall expire at 4 p.m., New York time, on the following Monday.