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The hip drop tackle has recently been one of the most dangerous legal ways that defenders have taken down their opponents. They basically wrap up the ball-carrier around their waste and then drop all of their body weight to the ground.
The idea is to bring the other player down with them, but it often results in injuries to the ball-carrier.
To combat these potential injuries, and along with the NFL's continued focus on player safety, they recently ruled that this technique will be banned. Any defender who uses it during a game will be flagged for a 15-yard personal foul penalty and could also be fined by the league following the game.
Former head coach and current NFL analyst Tony Dungy seems to disagree with the ruling.
He claimed in a tweet from his personal X account that he believes that the alternative could result in much worse injuries due to the way that defenders will now be forced to tackle their opponents.
Dungy explained:
"I'm all for player safety ... There is only one way to make a tackle from behind without dropping your weight - which could be worse ... It will lead to diving at the legs, which is going to have some very bad unintended consequences."
Tackling continues to become more difficult to do within the rules of the NFL. In addition to the hip drop tackle now being banned, the NFL has already previously forbidden hits to the head and the horse collar tackle.
According to Dungy, the only way left to tackle another player from behind is to dive at their legs, which could result in an increase in knee and lower leg injuries, which are often season-ending.
Why did the NFL ban the hip drop tackle?
As with previous tackling styles that have been banned by the NFL, the hip drop has been ruled out due to the dangerous nature of the technique.
Much like the horse collar tackle, this style puts a ton of pressure on the ball carrier's back and legs. When they buckle, they often result in injuries, some of which are extremely serious. The ban is in hopes of reducing such injuries.
Player safety is always a focal point for the NFL when they make various rule changes to the way that the game is being played.
For what it's worth, the vote reportedly passed unanimously to ban the tackle, but it will be specific to the "swivel" variety to receive a penalty. A defender is reportedly forbidden from "grabbing, swiveling, and unweighting," or they will be penalized.
Players who suffered major injuries owing to the hip drop tackle
According to NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller, the hip drop tackle makes it "20 to 25 times" more likely to be injured as compared to other tackling techniques. The number of injuries has reportedly grown in recent years, resulting in the NFL banning it in favor of player safety.
Mark Andrews is one of the most notable players who suffered a major injury from this technique.
He broke his fibula and tore an ankle liganment in November last year as a result of the tackle, forcing him to miss the remainder of the regular season.
Tyreek Hill and Geno Smith also suffered injuries from the hip drop tackle, though theirs were less serious than Andrews.
