### NFL Considers Moving Touchbacks to 35-Yard Line

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's competition committee are contemplating another potential change to the touchback rule. According to a report by Mark Maske for the Washington Post, the proposed rule would shift touchbacks to the 35-yard line.

This discussion follows a recent adjustment that moved touchbacks from the 25-yard line to the 30-yard line for the 2024 season. Despite the ongoing consideration, Maske's report notes that the NFL and its competition committee are unlikely to implement any significant changes during the current season. Any new adjustments would probably be postponed until the 2025 campaign.

The latest update comes after Goodell announced on NFL Network's Good Morning Football that the league is planning to "make a few new changes" to the modified kickoff rule. "We always said this was going to be a work in progress," Goodell stated. He emphasized the NFL's dual goals of increasing the number of returns while maintaining player safety.

Goodell expressed cautious optimism about the early results of the recent rule change, noting that more data is needed to fully assess its impact. "So far, that looks pretty good, but it's really early to tell, and there's really not enough data yet," he said. The goal is to ensure that the safety level of kickoff plays aligns with that of line of scrimmage plays, potentially paving the way for more frequent and safer kickoff returns in the future.