The official
NFL rules stipulate that an offensive player wearing
uniform number 50 through 79 (the range of numbers that offensive linemen may wear in that league) may not line up as an eligible receiver, with a violation being penalized as an illegal substitution. However, the rules provide an exception where such a player may become eligible if he declares his intent to the referee prior to the play. The referee then announces that the ineligible number "x" is reporting as an eligible receiver. This announcement is made using the referee's microphone so that spectators and the opposing team can hear. The eligibility is in effect for only one play; the report to the referee must be repeated before every play in which the offense plans to make the player eligible. Similarly, a player whose number is typically "eligible" must report himself ineligible to the referee, otherwise his team would be penalized for illegal formation. An example is when
New England Patriots running back
Shane Vereen did this in the
2014–15 NFL playoffs versus the
Baltimore Ravens. The tackle-eligible play typically goes unnoticed, but for one prominent exception: when the player reporting as an eligible receiver catches a forward pass (usually for a short touchdown). The name most commonly associated with the tackle-eligible play is
Mike Vrabel, a linebacker wearing jersey number 50, who recorded 10 receptions for 10 touchdowns in his career—including one each in
Super Bowl XXXVIII and
Super Bowl XXXIX—as a member of the
New England Patriots and
Kansas City Chiefs.
Cincinnati Bengals' Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Anthony Muñoz caught seven passes for 18 yards and four
touchdowns in his 13-year career.
Buffalo Bills' offensive tackle Mitch Frerotte made a name for himself in 1992 by scoring three times in one season (twice on tackle-eligible plays), the best single season ever for an
offensive lineman. A famous use of a tackle-eligible play came in the
Monday Night Miracle when
New York Jets lineman
Jumbo Elliott caught a three-yard touchdown pass to cap a 23-point comeback against the
Miami Dolphins. During the
2018 and
2019 NFL seasons,
Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman
George Fant garnered attention for his frequent use as a hybrid tight end and extra blocker on tackle-eligible plays. During one 2019
Monday Night Football matchup against the
Minnesota Vikings, Fant reported as an eligible receiver 42 times, and helped the Seahawks to rush for a season-high 218 yards and win the game, 37–30. Tackle-eligible plays saw an uptick in usage during the
2021 season, which also saw the coining of a new term,
thicc six (a play on the "pick six" in which a defender returns an interception for a touchdown), to describe tackle-eligible plays in which the eligible tackle catches the ball for a touchdown. A controversial play relating to the rule occurred during a
2023 game between the
Detroit Lions and
Dallas Cowboys. Lions offensive lineman
Taylor Decker reported as eligible to referee
Brad Allen and scored a two-point conversion to give the Lions a lead with 23 seconds left. However, Decker was penalized for being ineligible, as Allen had wrongly reported that another Lions offensive tackle,
Dan Skipper, was the eligible lineman on the play. The Lions were unable to score a two-point conversion on two subsequent attempts and the Cowboys won, 20-19. Decker, Skipper, and Lions head coach
Dan Campbell all stated that Allen had reported Skipper's number in error, which was supported by video evidence, as Decker was talking to the referee and Skipper was jogging to the line a few yards away. Allen's crew was later downgraded and did not participate that year's playoffs. ==College football==