What is a hip-drop tackle? Explaining the NFL's newest rule and why it's a point of emphasis

Every year, the National Football League attempts to make itself a safer sport by altering the way the game is played in various ways and by instituting a number of rule changes. Some years those changes can feel extreme, such as the new-look kickoffs for the 2024 season, and others can be completely overlooked.

One point of emphasis for NFL officials this season is learning to call penalties now that the league has outlawed the use of hip-drop tackles. It's the sort of rule change that's not going to be a major point of emphasis for most fans—that is, until there's a significant play on which it's called or not called. (That's the way it works, right?)

But the idea of calling penalties for hip-drop tackles has brought up a number of questions—and for good reason. It begins with defining a hip-drop tackle, which can itself become an issue. Let's get into things to help explain the new rule changes, some examples of hip-drop tackle dangers, and what it means for the league going forward.

How does the NFL define a hip-drop tackle?

The National Football League defines a hip-drop tackle as one that occurs when "a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier’s legs during the tackle." All three elements of that definition are supposed to have taken place before an official flags the play.

The problem is that it can be tough for a player to tackle differently when running full steam and trying to make a play on the ball with so many variables at work. And there are questions as to whether officials can really see all elements at work when tackles generally involve piles of multiple players from having collided from various directions.

Several defenders were quick to speak out in frustration about the announced rule changes when announced. Jabrill Peppers of the New York Giants stated the problem succinctly: "I don't like it. I don't know how you officiate it."

Why the emphasis on hip-drop tackles?

If the league is going to pursue measures to make the game safer for its players, then a focus on hip-drop tackles was bound to come into view at some point. According to a three-year study undertaken by the NFL, the league found that injuries due to hip-drop tackles were 25 times more likely than standard tackles., per league exec Troy Vincent.

"The hip drop tackle, the mechanics, looks very similar to the horse-collar tackle. You look at the injuries, we're talking 25x injury rate. This has to be alarming. ... we want this removed out of the game of football at every level."

NFL executive vice-president of communication Jeff Miller explained the league's perspective at the 2023 annual league meetings. "It is an unforgiving behavior and one that we need to try to define and get out of the game. To quantify it for you, we see an injury more or less every week in the regular season on the hip-drop," he said.

A hip-drop tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first-down if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground:

• Grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms
• 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

What are some recent examples of hip-drop tackles?

The 2023 NFL season featured a couple of key examples that affected some of the game's more well-known players. For example, the Baltimore Ravens lost star tight end Mark Andrews for the second half of the season when he went down after being tackled by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson in Week

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was on the receiving end of a hip-drop tackle by New York Giants defender Isaiah Simmons while going out of bounds in an early October matchup. He left the game under scary circumstances but was quite fortunate to end up healthy after exiting to the locker room for further examination and treatment.

During the 2022 postseason, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers met in the Divisional Round in the NFC's side of things. One lasting image from the game was that of Cowboys running back Tony Pollard's ankle rolled under 49ers safety Jimmie Ward's body in another hip-drop tackle that helped to accelerate discussions of its use.

What is the penalty for a hip-drop tackle?

If a player is found to have utilized a hip-drop method to make a tackle, the player is to be penalized 15 yards and the opposing team receives an automatic first down.