The NFL has implemented a significant rule change that probably ties back to the 49ers’ quarterback disaster in the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported NFL owners approved a bylaw on Monday that allows teams to dress a third QB without using an active roster spot on game days, outlawed since 2010.
During the NFC title in January, 49ers starting QB Brock Purdy tore the UCL in his right elbow on the game’s first series, and backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion in the third quarter.
Purdy had to re-enter the game but could only throw two short passes, rendering the 49ers offense ineffective. Philadelphia crushed them 31-7.
While having a third QB might not have saved San Francisco, it could have prevented fans from watching a one-sided game where a team had no feasible passing attack.
“That’s the best way to initiate and the best way to make decisions is when you have examples at, I would say, very sensitive times,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. “And boy, we don’t want teams without QBs in games where 50 million people are watching.”
Per bylaw rules, teams must designate the emergency QB 90 minutes before a game when teams file active/inactive lists.
Also, the QB can only come in when the first two QBs are injured or disqualified.
The NFL amending the rule is the right move because it should prevent another awful game where one team can’t compete since it lacks a viable QB.
