Rules Changes Coming to CFL in 2024
With the 2024 CFL season set to start June 6 with the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes at the runner-up Winnipeg Blue Bombers, no major rules changes are on the horizon.
But some “minor adjustments” are coming to clarify existing rules.
“We’re always looking to improve the state of our game, but we’ve seen positive results from the extensive product review in 2022 and the fine-tuning we’ve done since,” said Darren Hackwood, CFL vice-president of officiating. “This season, we’re continuing to build upon those changes through this set of minor adjustments.”
2024 RATIFIED RULES CHANGES
Low blocks
- Adjusted to further define the actions of a backfield player delivering a low block.
- A backfield player – regardless of position at the snap – may cross the offensive formation and block a defensive player who is lined up across from, or outside of, the offensive tackle at the snap low, if the block occurs in the legal low block zone.
- Removing the requirement for the backfield player to be within the legal low block zone at the snap makes the call easier to officiate, while heightening player safety by limiting who can be legally blocked low.
Command Centre
No yards added to the list of penalties that can be automatically picked up by the Command Centre if called incorrectly by on-field officials.
- Replay officials can only get involved when a clear mistake has been made.
- The call remains challengeable by a coach.
Tripping on the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage added to the list of penalties that the Command Centre can assist on. The play is now challengeable by a coach.
- Coaches may strategically use a timeout to provide the Command Centre with more time to automatically review a play that is not challengeable.
- Coaches still only have access to two timeouts per game.
- Only one timeout can be used after the three-minute warning in the fourth quarter.
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Art Garcia is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of InsideTheRangers.com and CFL on FanNation. Award-winning stops at various media outlets dot his career.