Here's how a few new NFL rule changes will impact the Vikings

The NFL this week tweaked its rulebook, as it does every year at its spring owners meetings. A few of those rules in particular will impact the Vikings.

The most significant of the rule changes was the competition committee’s decision to give the receiving team the ball at the 25-yard line, instead of the 20, after touchbacks on kickoffs. This new rule is on a one-year trial.

The intention of this change is to reduce the number of kickoff returns and, hopefully, injuries on returns. But many around the league, including some NFL special-teamers, believe teams will now try to boom higher-arcing kicks inside the 5-yard line then race down to tackle the returner inside the 20.

So how will this affect Cordarrelle Patterson, one of the league’s most dangerous kickoff returners? Honestly, I don’t have an answer for that one here in March. The Vikings already give Patterson the green light to return kickoffs from the back of the end zone, so that probably won’t change. But opponents could alter their approach with shorter directional kicks. We’ll see if a change in trajectory has an impact on Patterson’s straight-line runs.

Another newsworthy rule change on special teams isn’t exactly a new one. After a one-year trial, the NFL decided to keep extra points at the 15-yard line. Kicker Blair Walsh missed four extra-point tries from 33 yards in 2015.

In another change, the league will now allow coaches in the press box to directly speak to one player through the coach-to-player communication system. Previously, only a coach on the sideline could do that.

In quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s first two seasons, it was quarterbacks coach Scott Turner who relayed the play call from offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who coaches from the booth, to Bridgewater. Now no middle man is needed and Norv Turner can speak directly to his quarterback.

Lastly, teams can apply their one-time injured reserve designed-to-return tag retroactively to any player instead of having to designate the potential returnee ahead of time. Last season, center John Sullivan was given a return designation in September but he never was activated because he had to undergo a second back surgery. Now in a similar scenario, the Vikings can wait until a player is ready to return before using this designation.

Several other changes to the rulebook were enacted. One is that a player can now be ejected if he commits two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in one game. Another rule change is the elimination of all chop blocks. And the horse collar rule has been expanded to include when a defender grabs a runner’s jersey at the name plate or above to drag a runner down.