The NFL seems to be destined to ban the hip-drop tackle this week.
The league office wants to ban a certain type of hip-drop tackle. The NFLPA disagrees. The owners voted on it.
On Monday, it was announced that the NFL has banned the hip-drop tackle after a number of injuries arose from the play over the last two seasons, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The move was expected, with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones telling reporters Monday that removing the controversial tackle was necessary for player safety.
“You can coach that one. In my mind, that’s one of the easier deals,” he said, via NBC Sports. “It reminds me a little of (the) horse collar. That’s needed. That’s very needed. It’s very obvious that it’s injurious.”
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The controversial tackle is where a defender wraps the ball carrier with their hands or arms and then drops their hips, causing the other player’s legs and feet to get trapped.
Also Read: NFL Coaches Reportedly Want To Eliminate Key Play From The Game Of Football
Jones was on board with this since the Dallas Cowboys suffered a major loss before the playoffs in 2022 due to a hip-drop tackle on running back Tony Pollard. The NFL running back fractured his left fibula and had a high-ankle sprain that needed surgery after a hip-drop tackle late in the season, forcing him to go on IR for the remainder of the year.
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews suffered a season-ending lower leg injury on an apparent hip-drop tackle on Thursday Night Football last year that had him out until the playoffs.
Major Penalty Will Be Handed Out Due To Banning of Hip-Drop Tackle
In their new rule proposals for the 2024 season, the NFL has suggested a 15-yard penalty if a player “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”
The language that was submitted for the rule change indicates that it will indeed be a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
