List of NFL Bylaw and Resolution Changes for the 2019 season

Earlier today, we looked at the 7 rule changes that passed in the NFL for the 2019 season. There were also 6 bylaw and 2 resolutions that passed, which we will summarize below.

7 NFL Bylaws That Passed

1. More Flexibility on Waiver Claims: This first bylaw expands the ways that teams can basically re-acquire younger players during the season. Now, if a team waives a player and they become a free agent (clear waivers), they may immediately re-sign them. If the Browns waive a player, and another team claims that player and has them on their roster for one game, and then waives them, the Browns can put in a waiver claim for that player again.

2. Training Camp Roster Flexibility: Beginning July 15, players who are unsigned with the following designations will no longer count toward the 90-man training camp roster: Drafted-Unsigned, Exclusive Rights, First Refusal Rights, Unrestricted Free Agents with an individually negotiated right of first refusal, Franchise, and Transition.

3. Postseason Signing of Terminated Players: Previously, if a player cleared waivers during the postseason, they couldn’t be signed by a postseason club (or any club until after the season). That has changed. Playoff teams can sign them to their active roster or practice squad, and any team can sign them to a reserve/future deal.

4. Removing Coin Toss for Draft Order: In the past, there were some cases in which a coin toss helped determine the draft order for teams with ties in the tiebreakers. Now, coin tosses should almost never happen, because about 8 more tiebreaker rules have been added to the equation.

5. Non-Vested Veterans: This is a new rule that says, it “removes the requirement that a non-vested player must be placed on waivers to notcount on the 90-player roster prior to the reduction to 53 players.”

6. Training PUP/NFI Players: A new bylaw allows players on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform or Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness lists to be traded by the clubs if they are going to be eligible to come back.

2 NFL Resolutions That Passed

1. Contacting a Cut Player: Sometimes, a club would announce that they are releasing a player, but other teams technically couldn’t “contact” that player until the NFL officially posted the transaction. Now, if a club announces it, teams can legally reach out to the player without worrying about tampering issues.

2. Post-Game Officiating Notices: For one-year only, all clubs will have access to post-game officiating questions, as opposed to just the questions they submitted for their game.

What do you think of the bylaws and resolutions passed?