Report: NFL Competition Committee to debate making roughing the passer reviewable

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Multiple important moments in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2022 season came in relation to something an NFL official through a flag on. A report Sunday from NFL Network’s Judy Battista highlighted some of the early talking points for the league’s Competition Committee, which wrapped up its first day of meetings at the NFL Combine.

According to the report, one NFL team has proposed making roughing the passer a reviewable call. Kansas City had a notable roughing the passer call go against the Chiefs during their Monday Night Football game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Defensive end Chris Jones was flagged for his tackle of Derek Carr.

“Early indication is little appetite in the room for making it reviewable,” Battista reported, noting the Committee looked at 80 instances of roughing the passer from throughout the 2022 season and only found three that were deemed to be questionable. Even if the committee doesn’t support making roughing the passer reviewable, a change would go before the full group of owners at a March meeting in Arizona. That is, unless the proposed change gets withdrawn.

Committee looked at 80 plays of roughing the passer, found only 3 questionable. Big convo: sling vs. slam. Slam is problematic -- when a defender picks up the QB in the air and slams him on the ground. Slinging is more considered the natural progression.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) February 26, 2023

The closing moments of the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game were impacted by an unnecessary roughness call against Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai, after the rookie from Texas shoved Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes along the Bengals sideline.

Battista reported the Committee discussed when a runner is considered out of bounds or still in the field of play.

“If runner has 2 feet in the white, that is out,” Battista tweeted. “Anything else, including 1 foot in bounds, other in the air, is still a live run.”

Both of Mahomes’ feet were on the white paint out of bounds when Ossai shoved him in the back.

I think the ref threw the flag on the Mahomes scramble into the third row pic.twitter.com/vQM8qUDSn7
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 3, 2023

The Committee also found that quarterback usage -- through designed QB runs, sneaks and scrambles -- was the highest in NFL history. Possibly related, was an all-time high 69 starting quarterbacks used because of rotation or injury.