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“Tush push” play avoids banishment at NFL spring league meetings

The second round of the NFL’s spring league meetings in Minneapolis is in the books, and was highlighted by the decision to allow the polarizing “tush push” play, made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles, to remain legal. The proposal needed 24 votes to pass, but fell just short at 22.

How we got here: The Green Bay Packers were the franchise that ultimately submitted the proposal for the tush push to be banned. The Packers, and others, cited that there is no real skill involved in executing the play, and felt that it is unfair that offensive players can help push their teammates forward, but defensive players can't. Injury risks have also been a cause for concern.

Jason Kelce gave his input: The legendary former Eagles center showed up at the meetings in Minneapolis and gave his two cents on the tush push. Specifics of what he said are unknown at this time, but it seems as though his words made an impact. Here’s what Kelce had to say about it during a recent episode of his New Heights podcast:

"I don't care if it gets banned or not. I think that at the end of the day, this is why you vote on things. And if they vote to ban the tush push, the Eagles are still going to run quarterback sneaks at a very high percentage. I'm just going to offer any type of, if anybody has any questions about the tush push, or if I retired because of the tush push."

Eagles take to social media to gloat: When it was revealed that the tush push survived the vote, the Eagles posted a graphic to their Instagram account of the team running the play against (fittingly) the Packers, with the caption “push on.” They followed that up with a meme of quarterback Jalen Hurts reacting as happy with the decision.

Who voted to keep the tush push? NFL insider Adam Schefter revealed the 10 teams that voted to keep the play legal:

• Eagles
• Baltimore Ravens
• Cleveland Browns
• Detroit Lions
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Miami Dolphins
• New England Patriots
• New Orleans Saints
• New York Jets
• Tennessee Titans

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Retroactively naming past 10 winners of NFL’s new Protector of the Year award

The NFL has finally created an award to honor the best offensive lineman from each season, entitled the Protector of the Year. Inspired by Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins and legendary former LT Andrew Whitworth, a panel made up by former great offensive linemen such as Whitworth, Will Shields Jason Kelce, LeCharles Bentley, Shaun O’Hara, and Orlando Pace will determine the winner of the award.

As a fun experiment, I went back through the past decade and identified 10 offensive linemen who would have been worthy to win Protector of the Year. I also previewed some potential candidates who could be the inaugural winner of the award.

2015 — Cleveland Browns LT Joe Thomas: “Browns fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent franchise history, but Thomas is someone they can hang their hat on. The 2023 Hall of Fame inductee played a whopping 10,363 consecutive snaps before missing his first action due to injury. Cleveland went 3-13 in 2015, but Thomas was named a First-Team All-Pro and was the recipient of Pro Football Focus' Bruce Mathews Award as the best offensive lineman in the league."

2016 — Baltimore Ravens G Marshal Yanda: “2016 marked the third consecutive year that Yanda was PFF's top graded guard. What was unique about that year specifically is that he had to switch from the right side to the left during the middle of the season, and did so without a hiccup. Yanda was named a First-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler that season, and is likely a future Hall of Famer."

2017 — Philadelphia Eagles C Jason Kelce: “Kelce went from good to great in 2017, as he earned the first of his six First-Team All-Pro selections. He also won PFF's Run Blocker of the Year award after being their highest graded offensive lineman that season. Kelce capped it all off by helping the Eagles win Super Bowl LII."

2018 — Green Bay Packers LT David Bakhtiari: “Injuries derailed the last few seasons of Bakhtiari's career, but he a great run from 2013-2020. The 2018 season was his best, earning First-Team All-Pro honors and getting recognized by PFF as the league's top graded pass blocker. Bakhtiari protected quarterback Aaron Rodgers' blindside, who threw for his second highest passing yardage total in 2018."

2019 — Dallas Cowboys G Zack Martin: “Martin would have been in the running for Protector of the Year in basically every season of his career. 2019 was one of nine All-Pro selections for the future Hall of Famer, as he also was named to nine Pro Bowls and is a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team."

2020 — Indianapolis Colts G Quenton Nelson: “Nelson allowed just one sack in 1,082 snaps played in 2020, earning him his third of five First-Team All-Pro selection. He also earned PFF's second best run blocking grade among all guards that year. Nelson remains one of the top offensive linemen in the league today, coming off a Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro nod in 2024."

2021 — San Francisco 49ers LT Trent Williams: “Williams had one of the best seasons by an offensive lineman of all-time in 2021. His 98.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus is the highest ever given to an OL in a single season, as is his 97.7 run blocking grade. That year landed Williams the second of four All-Pro selections, as well as one of his whopping 11 Pro Bowl nods."

Retroactively naming the past 10 winners of the NFL’s new Protector of the Year award for offensive linemen

A ton of great candidates to choose from.

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