A handful of newly approved NFL rules could impact the Cincinnati Bengals on the field in 2024.
And one notable alteration could impact the teams and fans in a pretty big way.
NFL owners voted to approve changes to NFL Media’s “Hard Knocks” docuseries. Now, the in-season edition of the show will feature an entire division, even into the playoffs.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal detailed this and changes to the offseason show and what teams are eligible for it:
… teams will only be able to avoid the off-season “Hard Knocks” production if they: 1.) Have participated before in the last 8 years (down from 10 years); 2.) Have a first-year head coach (unchanged); or 3.) Will participate in the in-season “Hard Knocks” show in the current season or next season.
Also under this plan, the three-year-old in-season version of “Hard Knocks” would now feature a full four-team division instead of a single team. That would ease competitive concerns, give producers more options for storytelling, and lighten the load on any single team, proponents say.
In short, the Bengals can still avoid the offseason show if they meet the above criteria. But if the AFC North is chosen for the in-season version, there’s no avoiding it.
It’s simply something to keep in mind. The Bengals are obviously one of the most interesting teams in the league right now as Joe Burrow comes back from an injury and they hope to contend again.
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