The NFL has approved expanding replay assistance for penalties that it calls “specific, objective aspects of a play.”
The proposal will allow officials to use replay assist for hits on a defenseless player, grabbing the facemask, horse-collar tackles, tripping, and running into or roughing the kicker would be subject to review and could be overturned.
The proposal would only extend to penalties called on the field, not to review penalties that were “missed,” or calls that teams believe should have been made.
Pass interference and roughing the passer are absent from the list of penalties eligible for replay assist. Whether offensive or defensive, few calls have a more significant impact and are more challenging to judge during live action than pass interference and roughing the passer.
However, the NFL has prioritized protecting its most important players and, to a lesser extent, scoring. Given that, it’s unlikely the league will add pass interference or roughing the passer to the expanded replay list.
