Three thoughts on three new changes to the NFL
1. The trade deadline will be extended by two weeks, from Week 6 to Week 8. You don't see a lot of player for player trades in the NFL, so I wouldn't expect to see much more of that rise with this new change.
Other than the Randy Moss trade a few years ago, the trade deadline is never anywhere near as exciting in the NFL as it is in the MLB, NBA or even the NHL. While it's unlikely for that to change with this extension a lot of injuries could occur in those extra two weeks so we could still see an increase in NFL trade deadline buzz, however small it is.
2. The NFL will also now require all NFL players to wear hip and knee pads in the interest of player safety. After the recent focus on the health of retired players, I don't think anyone can argue against the league doing all it can to protect their players and it starts with the equipment.
3. The owners agreed to let one player who is placed on the Injured Reserve list to return later on in the season. This just makes sense. A lot of times teams are forced to put players on the season-ending IR even if they would've been able to return.
This extra flexibility in managing the roster will greatly help teams like New England, who are already so good at it.
Just think of all of the early season injuries that take place in training camp, pre-season or the early weeks, and force those players to miss an entire year. Leigh Bodden in 2010 (injured in camp) and Dan Koppen in 2011 (injured in Game 1) are two examples that come to mind. Both of those players would've been able to return to the team later on in the season with this new rule.
