The NFL has tweaked its replay-challenge rules ahead of the 2026 season, now allowing head coaches to delegate authority to throw the red challenge flag to another member of their coaching staff. Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor revealed that this is nothing new for his team, admitting he has effectively been letting someone else handle challenge decisions for the past eight years, technically in breach of the previous rule.

The change formalises what Taylor's Bengals had already been doing unofficially since he took over as head coach. Under the old system, only the head coach was permitted to initiate a challenge, but the NFL's adjustment now permits a designated delegate to do so instead, bringing the rule in line with existing practice at some teams.