Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews suffered an injury on a hip-drop tackle. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

NFLPA vehemently opposes proposed rule change

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 3/21/24

The NFL Players Association is tackling a proposed rule change before it's approved.

On Wednesday, reports surfaced that the league is planning to vote on a proposal to eliminate hip-drop tackles. If the proposal passes, the penalty for hip-drop tackles will be an automatic first down and a 15-yard penalty.

The rule proposal describes hip-drop tackles as when a player "grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms" and then "unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner's legs at or below the knee."

Momentum has built toward NFL eliminating the hip-drop tackle from legal moves. Here's the language that ownership will vote on next week in Orlando: pic.twitter.com/FNW9LQwlvU
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) March 20, 2024

The technique has the potential to cause lower-leg injuries to the player being tackled, which has made it the focus of the competition committee this offseason.

The NFLPA noted that while it "remains committed to improvements to our game with health and safety in mind," the hip-drop tackle ban is a bridge too far.

"We cannot support a rule change that causes confusion for us as players, for coaches, for officials and especially, for fans," the NFLPA's statement continued.

Our statement on the swivel hip-drop tackle. pic.twitter.com/8mzhjtPgKu
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) March 20, 2024

The proposal will make it even harder for defenders to do their job and, worst of all, give referees another way to dictate the outcomes of games.

Without a review process for these kinds of flags, hip-drop tackle penalties will likely become just as controversial as roughing-the-passer penalties, which have marred several games over the years.

Finding ways to make the game safer for players is a noble pursuit, but it rings hollow from the NFL. Sure, it likes its players healthy, but it might have other motivations.

After all, the league can't afford to have its best players miss time when it eventually adds an 18th game to the schedule.

More must-reads: