What’s next for Eagles after 2023 Super Bowl loss to Chiefs?
Eagles writer Martin Frank breaks down Super Bowl 57 from Arizona and what’s next for the Eagles as they face an offseason filled with big questions.
Martin Frank and Ryan Ross, Delaware News Journal
The Philadelphia Eagles want to give their high-powered offense even more time to shine as they are petitioning the NFL to allow an XFL-style replacement for the onside kick.
The Eagles are asking the league to let teams maintain possession after a score by completing a fourth-and-20 offensive play from their 20-yard line. This would be an alternative to the onside kick where the team that just scored maintains possession if it kicks the ball 10 yards and recover it.
The XFL has its own back-to-back possession rule in the fourth quarter where a team that scored can retain possession after completing a fourth-and-15 from its own 25-yard line. The St. Louis BattleHawks found success with the rule in Week 1, using it to propel themselves to a comeback win.
The Eagles previously proposed a similar rule in 2020 where a team could use the onside kick alternative twice in a game. A year prior, the Denver Broncos suggested their own substitute for the onside kick where a team would have to convert a fourth-and-15 play from its own 35-yard line to maintain possession after a score. The NFL tried a fourth-and-15 conversion rule at the 2020 Pro Bowl.
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AGENT ZERO: Philadelphia Eagles petition NFL to allow players to wear No. 0, per report
The suggestion to have an offensive play instead of an onside kick is in addition to Philadelphia’s proposal to allow players to wear the No. 0. The number has been out of use since the NFL standardized numbers by position in 1973 and the Eagles are running out of room in the single digits.
The NFL is also reviewing if it will continue to allow players to push teammates from behind. This comes after the Eagles found significant success last season with quarterback sneaks. Quarterback Jalen Hurts led the team with 13 rushing touchdowns.
