Lions Submit Major Changes to NFL Bylaws, Rules

The Detroit Lions have submitted multiple proposals for changes ahead of the NFL's annual meetings.

One of the proposed changes would be to negate automatic first downs as the result of defensive holding and illegal contact penalties, while another would be to allow wild card teams to be seeded higher in the postseason than division winners with worse records.

Additionally, the team submitted a bylaw change that would prevent players placed on injured reserve prior to or on roster cut day from counting against the 90-player roster limit.

These changes are timely for the Lions and the NFC North in particular. For starters, the Lions' defense employs a physical style that did lead to whistles at times. Rookie Terrion Arnold was penalized 11 times last season, including three for defensive holding.

As a team, the Lions committed 13 defensive holding penalties and three illegal contact penalties in 2024. Detroit's defense routinely deploys press coverage, which results in the team playing physical at the line of scrimmage.

"By Detroit; amends Rule 8, Section 4, to eliminate an automatic first down as a penalty imposed for defensive holding and illegal contact," reads the official rule proposal.

As it stands, any defensive holding or illegal contact penalty results in an automatic first down for the offense regardless of where and at what depth the penalty occurs.

The current reason for the proposed change submitted by the Lions is, "Competitive equity. Current penalty enforcement is too punitive for the defense."

Additionally, the seeding proposal is relevant to the NFC North because of how successful the division was. The Lions won the division at 15-2 but didn't clinch the title until the regular season finale, as the Minnesota Vikings finished 14-3.

Because the NFL currently awards the top four playoff seeds to division winners, the Vikings were seeded fifth in the postseason following the Lions winning the division in their Week 18 matchup. Minnesota lost to the Los Angeles Rams, who finished the regular season 10-7, in the Wild Card Round.

Should this be changed, it could allow non-division winning teams to host playoff games should they be among the top four records in their respective conferences. This would be a change to the NFL's Article XX, Section 20.2 of the NFL's Constitution and Bylaws.

The reason for the proposal reads, "Competitive equity. Provides excitement and competition in late season games. Reqards the best-performing teams from the regular season."

Detroit's proposal to exclude players placed on injured reserve prior to or o the day of roster reduction would be a change to the NFL Constution and Bylaws Article XVII, Section 17.1. The Lions dealt with numerous injuries last year, and are proposing the change to help teams better navigate situations like the one they were in last season.

Elsewhere around the league, both the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles have made significant proposals for rule changes.

The Packers have made a proposal to ban the Eagles' 'Tush Push' play, while the Eagles have submitted a change that would make regular season overtime rules identical to that in the postseason and allow both teams to possess the ball.

These proposed changes will be discussed during the Annual League Meetings, which are scheduled for March 30-April 2 in Palm Beach, Florida.

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