The NFL is making a change to its replay-challenge procedures that now allows head coaches to designate a sideline staff member to throw the challenge flag. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor acknowledges that he has been doing something similar for years, according to multiple reports, describing it as a practice he has used for about eight seasons.
In the lead-up to the change—set to take effect before the 2026 season—outlets report that Taylor typically handed the red challenge flag to another staffer rather than throwing it himself. With the rule now explicitly allowing coaches to assign someone else, the focus shifts from whether Taylor’s approach was permitted to how the league is formalizing a practice teams have already used. Coverage notes the league-wide nature of the update while recounting Taylor’s confession about his prior compliance with the spirit of the policy.
While the outlets vary in tone—ranging from highlighting the “confession” angle to framing it as an explanation of the rule shift—they agree on the core details: the NFL changes the rule, Taylor says he has been following a similar procedure for about eight years, and the change applies across the league.
