NFL to shut down Eagles kickoff holder loophole — SkimNews
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- The Eagles sent out punter Braden Mann as a 12th-man holder for kicker Jake Elliott in their Week 2 win over the Titans, with Mann holding the ball on the ground at Elliott's preferred angle to make low-trajectory 'dirty balls' (knuckleballs) easier to execute.
- The loophole stems from ambiguity in the rulebook, which says teams 'may' use a manufactured tee during kickoffs but doesn't require one when using a designated holder.
- The 2024 dynamic kickoff rule permits a 12th player (holder) on the field only for windy games or situations where the ball won't stay on a tee, with the holder required to leave the sideline immediately after the kick — but the Eagles used Mann without either triggering condition.
- Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower told reporters Friday (via ESPN) the rule will be corrected so any holder must place the ball on a tee; the onside-kick exemption, which already allows ground placement, will not change.
- Other NFL teams could copy Philadelphia's strategy in the interim, since the Eagles can keep doing it until the league officially rewrites the rule.
Why it matters: The 2024 dynamic kickoff rule was designed to revive returns, but the Eagles' two-week holder-without-tee exploit exposes an ambiguity that rival special-teams coordinators like the Bears' Richard Hightower are already publicly pushing back on. If the NFL doesn't tighten the rule quickly, Philadelphia's approach becomes copyable league-wide — turning kickoffs into a new strategic chess match the rule never anticipated.
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