The NFL is finalizing plans to insert custom-made data chips into the game balls used in the 2016 preseason and Thursday night regular-season games, according to a league source.

The data would be used for research that could lead to significant changes in officiating, kicking and other areas as soon as the 2017 season.

The Toronto Sun reported that the league would use chips in K-balls to help determine the potential impact of narrowing the goalposts sometime in the future.