NFL Likely to Close Kickoff Holder Loophole Used by Eagles

The NFL appears poised to close a kickoff rulebook loophole that the Philadelphia Eagles and other clubs have used to place the ball on the ground with a twelfth-man holder, CBS Sports and NBC Sports reported Friday.

Under the dynamic kickoff rules rolled out in 2024, a kicking team may send a designated holder as a twelfth person on the field, provided that holder leaves immediately after the kick. The rulebook says clubs “may” use a manufactured tee and “may also” use a designated holder, without spelling out that a tee is required whenever a holder is present, CBS Sports noted.

Philadelphia exploited that ambiguity in its Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans, sending punter Braden Mann onto the field to hold for Jake Elliott so the kicker could strike a low “dirty ball” knuckleball from a preferred ground angle, both outlets said. Atlanta used a similar look in Week 1, and the tactic has spread enough that Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower — who helped design the dynamic kickoff — called it contrary to the rule’s intent ahead of Monday night’s Eagles-Bears matchup.

“The intent of the rule is the ball is supposed to be in a tee when you have a holder out there,” Hightower told reporters, according to NBC Sports. “It’s not to be used like you’ve seen it used here lately.” He said special teams coaches were convening on a conference call and hoped the language would be corrected so a holder must place the ball on a tee, a change he believes the league can make in-season.

CBS Sports reported that Hightower, speaking Friday via ESPN, said the correction would still allow a holder but would bar placing the ball directly on the ground for ordinary kickoffs. Onside kicks would remain an exception where the ball can sit on the ground under current rules. Until the league acts, Philadelphia can keep using the tactic, and other clubs may copy it.

There is recent precedent for midseason kickoff clarifications. In 2022, the Las Vegas Raiders used a holder to perch the ball on top of the tee rather than in it; the NFL initially allowed the look, then banned it during the season, NBC Sports said. Hightower wants a similar midcourse correction now.

For readers tracking the league on Sports, the dispute sits at the intersection of competitive innovation and the spirit of the dynamic kickoff, which was sold as a safer, more returnable play. A holder for wind or a wobbly tee was meant as a logistical aid, not a trajectory weapon. Closing the loophole would preserve the twelfth-man option while forcing the ball onto a tee whenever that option is used.

Verified points as of Friday’s reports: Eagles used Mann as holder for Elliott kickoffs without relying on wind; Falcons used a similar Week 1 look; rulebook permits a designated holder as a twelfth person who must exit after the kick; “may” language on tees leaves room for ground holds; Hightower says coaches expect a tee requirement when a holder is used; onside kicks would keep ground placement; 2022 Raiders tee-top tactic was later banned midseason. Whether the league issues a midweek clarification before more clubs adopt the dirty-ball hold will decide how long the loophole lasts.