It's been like this for a few years, and I doubt they change it this offseason. If they were to change this in any way I'd rather them take a look at it as it applies to loose balls. If a player is running with it, bobbles it, gets tackled and it pops out after they have been tackled to the ground it is a fumble, even if they have regained possession after the ball was bobbled.
Dumb, dumb rule all around though, even the part about catching it. The thing with the NFL anymore is there are so many rules and they are so convoluted that it makes it tough on the officials, who are not even full time employees. Like the fact that a ball has to reach the goal line mentioned above, and anything else after is irrelevant.. Except when you make a catch, land on the ground, and then the ball comes out, even if you have made the catch, secured the ball, and landed with the ball in the endzone.