For the past two weeks, several teams have been taking advantage of a loophole in the NFL rulebook, but that likely won’t be happening much longer. It looks like the league is thinking about shutting it down.
The rulebook is kind of ambiguous about whether teams can use a holder WITHOUT a tee on a normal kickoff, so the Eagles have been taking advantage of that. In their Week 2 win over the Titans, the Eagles sent out punter Braden Mann to serve as the holder for Jake Elliott on kickoffs. The Eagles were trying to make it easier for Elliott to kick a “Dirty ball,” which is essentially a low knuckleball that can be difficult to field.
To make Elliott’s job easier, the Eagles had Mann hold the football ON THE GROUND at Elliott’s preferred angle.
The Falcons also used this strategy in their Week 1 loss to the Steelers.
When the NFL made the switch over to the dynamic kickoff in 2024, the league added a rule that permitted teams to use a 12th player on the field, but only in one specific situation. It has to be a holder for kickoffs during windy games or in situations where the ball won’t stay on the tee. The holder then has to run off the field immediately.
Here’s what the rulebook says about using a holder:
“If Team A is using a designated holder, the designated holder may be the 12th person on the field when the ball is kicked for a kickoff or safety kick,” the rulebook states. “But he is a non-player, must leave the field on his team’s sideline with the kicking tee immediately after the ball is kicked, and is also subject to the rules of non-player conduct in accordance with Rule 13.
Now this is where things get ambiguous. The rulebook states that you can use a holder at any time, but it doesn’t necessarily say anything about whether you have to use a tee.
“During a free kick, the kicking team may use a manufactured tee designed to hold the ball no more than one inch from the ground and approved by the League,” the rulebook says. “During a kickoff or safety kick, the kicking team may also use a designated holder to hold the ball.”
The team “may” use a manufactured tee. It doesn’t say they have to use one.
According to Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, using a holder and having him place the ball directly on the ground goes against the spirit of the kickoff rule. During a meeting with reporters on Friday (via ESPN), he said the rule will be corrected and that if a holder is used, he’ll have to place the ball on a tee.
Basically, the Eagles will still be able to use a holder, but they won’t be allowed to place the ball on the ground. Under the current rules, if a team attempts an onside kick, they can place the ball directly on the ground, and that part of the rule won’t change.
The Eagles can keep doing what they’ve been doing until the league changes the rule, but if that doesn’t happen soon, you could see other teams start copying Philadelphia’s strategy.
