By now, we’re all very well aware of the NFL’s implementation of the rule that prohibits any player from lowering their head while initiating impact. While most fans saw this coming in regards to seeing the massive hits from defenders resulting in concussions on ball carriers, the league says they aren’t limiting the new rule to defenders.
This isn’t something that we’ve seen in the past. For example, receivers lowering their head to squeeze in between defenders occasionally results in helmet-to-helmet collisions where there wouldn’t have been otherwise. Running backs dropping their head near the goal line to make themselves a smaller target in order to get into the end zone often causes these hits as well.