The strategic “speed motion” employed by the Miami Dolphins under head coach Mike McDaniel, often dubbed the “cheat motion” by critical voices like San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, may be under new scrutiny in the 2024 NFL season. This offensive tactic, which has contributed to the Dolphins’ dynamic plays, involves a backfield player moving forward at the snap, a move that has always been technically illegal but often not highlighted in the NFL rulebook.
For the 2024 season, the NFL has made an addition to its rulebook explicitly addressing this issue. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the updated Rule 7, Section 4, Article 2, Item 4 clearly states: “Any eligible backfield player who changes his stance does not have to come to a complete stop prior to the snap, as long as his actions are not abrupt (false start) or forward (illegal motion).”
This adjustment is not introducing a new rule but rather emphasizing the illegality of forward motions at the snap to eradicate any gray areas that might have been exploited. Prior rule editions did mention that no player could move toward the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped (Rule 7, Section 4, Article 8), yet the specificity in the 2024 rulebook suggests a crackdown on such tactics.
A prime example of this was observed in the Dolphins’ gameplay during a 2023 match where Tyreek Hill converted a forward-moving pre-snap into a 60-yard touchdown reception. Metrics from the play showed Hill was traveling at 10.92 mph at the snap and accelerated to 19.19 mph by the time the pass was released, highlighting how significant a running start can be.
The NFL’s focused revision in the rulebook implies that officials may start paying closer attention to player movements at the snap, especially in cases like Hill’s, which could potentially impact the efficacy of strategies employed by teams like the Dolphins who have benefitted from such motions.