NFL Executive Reveals One Team Proposing a Ban on Eagles’ “Tush Push” Play
One NFL team isn’t exactly fond of the Eagles’ “brotherly shove” play.
Ahead of the Scouting Combine, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent revealed that a team has proposed banning the “tush push,” the quarterback sneak play made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles and executed with remarkable success, according to Judy Battista of NFL Network.
The team behind the proposal has chosen to remain anonymous. The Eagles’ success with the play has been powered by one of the league’s most dominant offensive lines and a quarterback, Jalen Hurts, capable of squatting about 600 pounds. Since the 2022 season, the Eagles have effectively used the “tush push” in short-yardage situations to achieve incredible success.
The play resembles a typical QB sneak but with a twist: the tight end joins the halfback in the backfield to help push Hurts forward, assisted by the offensive line. This move has been compared to a rugby scrum, raising safety concerns and questions about its place in the game. Additionally, the Eagles’ ability to consistently convert first downs and touchdowns from the play has led some to argue it provides an unfair competitive advantage.
Heading into the 2024 season, the Eagles had a success rate of 86 percent with the play over the past two seasons, significantly higher than the league’s average of 76 percent.
As a result, there have been discussions about modifying or banning the play, especially after a report in 2023 suggesting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wanted to eliminate it. However, Goodell denied this in December 2023.
Despite this, the conversation continued into the 2024 season and offseason, with Vincent stating in March 2024 that there would be no proposals to ban the play.
This offseason, however, a step has been taken to address it. Although it’s unclear which team made the proposal, Green Bay Packers team president Mark Murphy expressed his opposition to the play in a monthly Q&A, stating he was “not a fan” and wanted the runner’s push to be “prohibited.”
If the proposal makes it to a vote among league owners, it would require 24 votes in favor of a rule change to implement the ban.
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