The rulebook is constantly evolving by the National Football League (NFL) to enhance the game’s safety and righteousness. The NFL is a multi-billion-dollar empire and they put a substantial price tag on their product. 

The NFL meticulously evaluates its governing rules as the 2023 season approaches because the league takes time to self-reflect each offseason. The teams and competition committee will pour the recommendations in which some found their place while others aren’t. 

We will look at the NFL’s forward handoff rule in this article and the change that has been made to it. Here are some other notable rule changes that will be implemented in the 2023 season. 

What Is NFL’s New Forward Handoff Rule

For the 2023 season, the NFL has introduced a new forward handoff rule that has been implemented in the season. As per this rule, it is illegal to hand the ball forward to another player however the receiving player is an eligible one and should be behind the line of scrimmage. In order to prevent teams from using the forward handoff as a way, the rule was implemented to gain an unfair advantage. 

As per the old NFL handoff rule, some teams trick the defenders to think that the quarterback was going to pass the ball to use the forward handoff. However, the ball was being handed off to a running back in reality. On the defenders, this gave the running back a head start and made it more difficult for them to make a tackle. 

Now according to the new rule, forward handoff is not a legal play and teams violating it will be penalized. With similar rules, this rule makes the language more simple and makes the enforcement from the spot of foul in all circumstances. Five yards and a loss of down is the penalty for an illegal forward handoff. 

Other New NFL Rule Changes

There are a number of other new rule changes for the 2023 NFL season in addition to the forward handoff rule. Here are the rules: 

  • Teams will be allowed to challenge “Booth Review” for failed fourth-down attempts as per the new rule. 
  • For defensive players, the new rule will make it illegal to launch themselves into offensive players (Tripping as a personal foul). 
  • On trick plays, the teams can’t make use of ineligible receivers as per the new rule. 
  • A new rule will make it easy for the teams to score touchdowns on kickoff returns. 

To improve the safety of the teams and to make it fair for both teams, these new rules are introduced for the NFL 2023 season. 

One of the most significant rule changes is the Forward Handoff rule for the 2023 NFL season. The way that the game is played, it is more likely to have a major impact on the game. How teams will adapt to the rule and how it affects the results of the game, will be interesting to watch! 

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