NFL owners approve ban on controversial swivel hip-drop tackle

ORLANDO, Fla. — NFL owners on Monday unanimously approved a rule banning the swivel hip-drop tackle technique used across the league.

According to the league's newest rule, a hip-drop tackle is defined as when a defensive player grabs the runner with both hands or wraps both arms around the runner 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."

If a player is flagged for a swivel hip-drop tackle, it will result in a loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down.

The owners' decision comes after the NFL's Competition Committee voiced their opinion that the tackle should be out of the game.

Hip-drop tackles became a major talking point after a Thursday night showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens last November. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury after he was tackled by Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson.

"It was definitely a hip-drop tackle," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after the game. "Was it even necessary in that situation?"

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Some fans and media members called Wilson's tackle, which was legal by NFL standards, "dirty" after the game, calling for the banning of hip-drop tackles. Andrew called the situation unfortunate but noted he does not blame Wilson.

"If they want to ban the tackle, fine," Andrews said. "I'm going to go hard no matter what. I don't blame the guy. He was just playing hard."

Wilson himself told WCPO he wasn't even sure what a hip-drop tackle was until people spoke about it after the game.

"It’s not like Mark Andrews is a small human. You’re just trying to find a way to bring the guy down, and unfortunately, that’s what happened," Wilson said. "I’d never wish it upon him. Whatever they decide to do with the hip-drop tackle going forward, we’ll have to adjust, but it would make it a lot harder if that’s what they decide to do."

Wilson is not alone. After the owners' vote was announced, former NFL player and coach Tony Dungy said that while he's for player safety, he wasn't even sure what a hip-drop tackle really is.

"Having played & coached defense I can tell you there is only one way to make a tackle from behind without dropping your weight—which could be worse," Dungy said, noting that players may choose to dive at runners' knees or lower legs, possibly causing more injuries.

Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt commented on the news as well, saying, "Just fast forward to the belts with flags on them..."

In 2023, the NFL Players Association said in a release banning hip-drop tackles "is unfair to players and unrealistic to implement."

"It places defensive players in an impossible position by creating indecision in the mind of any tackling player, puts officials in an unreasonable situation that will result in inconsistent calls on the field, and confuses our fans," the NFLPA said.

Yahoo Sports' senior NFL reporter Jori Epstein said she asked the competition committee chair how the league will train officials on calling the penalty. She said he noted that players need to do all three for the penalty to be called correctly: grab the runner with both hands, swivel them and unweight themselves on them.

The league said swivel hip-drop tackles were used on average once a game during the 2023 season, with more than a dozen players suffering injuries.