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In the last several years, the NFL has made a more concerted effort in making changes to the game with the players' overall safety in mind. The league made alterations to rule along the way that has protected the long-term health of its players.
There have been several more rule adjustments made so far this offseason to provide a more smooth and safer style of play on the field. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the NFL has decided to penalize players when they lower their helmets to take an opponent.
Over the years, there have been numerous injuries that have occurred due to these type of plays where a defender decides to lower their head to make a tackle. It puts their neck in jeopardy and could lead to future damage beyond that such as the spine and concussions if the hit is hard enough.
In response to this move, there has been plenty of backlash from players both former and current that believe it will difficult for them to change the tackling techniques that they have used throughout their playing career. That said, it's a rule that is used for players to avoid leading with the crown of their helmets and go toward a more textbook form of leading with the shoulder into a tackle.
There could be plenty of situations this upcoming season where players are penalized for tackling this manner, which could lead to the players having to adjust accordingly. Only time will tell if this rule change will fulfill its intended purpose to lessen the number of injuries from these such instances that arise numerous times throughout the course of a game.
