The NFL will consider making a significant change to the way certain penalties are handled in 2023, including roughing the passer calls. League executive Troy Vincent said at the annual meeting Wednesday that the competition committee will discuss making roughing the passer penalties reviewable, and potentially ejecting players for such fouls.
“Quarterback goes down by a hit. Obviously, there’s a flag on the field,” Vincent said, via ProFootballTalk. “Should that player be automatically ejected or should that be a reviewable play? That’ll be a topic of what’s reviewed. What should be reviewable?”
That potential rule change would need to be voted on and approved at the league meeting next offseason, but it’s something the competition committee will discuss. Bobby Wagner, for one, hopes the NFL doesn’t make it so players can get ejected for hits the way players in college can when targeting is called.
He tweeted his stance on Wednesday, saying that’s the reason he stopped watching college.
NFL does not need to eject players for hits like college. That’s why I stopped watching college.
— Bobby Wagner (@Bwagz) December 14, 2022
Roughing the passer penalties have become a point of contention for many fans, players and coaches, questioning whether many of the ones that are called should actually be considered fouls. A few come to mind, including Chris Jones’ hit on Derek Carr at the end of the Chiefs-Raiders game, and Grady Jarrett’s tackle on Tom Brady during Falcons-Bucs.
If anything, fans want to see roughing the passer called less frequently, not the other way around. Surely most fans would be opposed to seeing players ejected for those plays, but the possibility of reviewing hits on the quarterback could help correct mistakes by officials.
