The NFL Banned The Hip-Drop Tackle In 2024. Now It Is 15 Yards And A First Down.
In March 2024 NFL owners banned the swivel hip-drop tackle. The 2026 rulebook defines the technique in two parts and makes it a 15-yard foul with an automatic first down.
Most tackling fouls in the NFL have been in the rulebook for decades. The hip-drop tackle is one of the newest. It was not a foul until the 2024 season.
The vote
On March 25, 2024, at the Annual League Meeting, NFL owners approved a rule banning the swivel hip-drop tackling technique. NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said there were 230 instances of the technique in games the season before, with 15 players missing time as a result.
How the rulebook defines it
Rule 12, Section 2, Article 18 says it is a foul if a player uses this technique to bring a runner to the ground:
- 01He grabs the runner with one or both hands, or wraps the runner with both arms; and
- 02he unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and/or trapping the runner's leg(s) at or below the knee
It is a foul if a player grabs the runner, then swivels and drops his hips onto the runner's legs.
The penalty
Loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down - the same penalty the rulebook sets for a horse-collar tackle two articles earlier.
Quick answers
- When did the NFL ban the hip-drop tackle?
- NFL owners approved the ban on March 25, 2024, at the Annual League Meeting, and it took effect for the 2024 season.
- What is a hip-drop tackle?
- A tackle where the defender grabs the runner with one or both hands or wraps him with both arms, then swivels and drops his hips and lower body, landing on or trapping the runner's legs at or below the knee.
- What is the penalty for a hip-drop tackle?
- Loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down.
Sources
- 2026 Official Playing Rules of the National Football League (Rule 12-2-18)
- ESPN - NFL owners approve ban on swivel hip-drop tackling technique
- NFL.com - NFL owners vote to ban hip-drop tackle at Annual League Meeting
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