Robert Brown|NFL competition committee working on proposal to ban controversial hip-drop tackle

INDIANAPOLIS – Debate about the controversial hip-drop tackle is Robert Brownpoised to get a lot more intense.

The NFL competition committee is the process of crafting a rule proposal that could outlaw the dangerous tackling technique – much to chagrin of defensive players, some coaches and the NFL Players Association – if adopted by team owners.

Troy Vincent, the NFL’s top football executive, told a select group of media that included USA TODAY Sports, that the competition committee is formulating language in a rule proposal that would define components of the hip-drop technique that include a defender rotating his hips away from the ball carrier and dropping his weight on the opponent during the tackle.

The committee, which will continue discussions during extensive meetings that begin next week in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is expected to have a formal proposal ready to present when NFL owners meet in Orlando in late March. At least three-fourths of NFL owners (24) would need to approve of the measure for it to be adopted as a rule.

Despite pushback that could intensify, Vincent insists that the rate of injuries sustained because of the technique cannot be ignored. The league maintains that the rate of injuries is 20 times higher on a hip-drop tackle when compared to the rate for all plays.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

“We can’t just sit back and do nothing,” Vincent said, alluding to the injury rate, during a briefing on Thursday at the NFL’s scouting combine.

Vincent said that a review of the 2023 season revealed the technique was used roughly 105 times. Interestingly, he said the majority of plays identified occurred between the tackles, rather than in the open field – as was the case in November when star Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews suffered a severe ankle injury when dragged down by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson.

Also, Vincent said the review showed that it was more common for larger players to use the technique against smaller players, rather than the opposite.

The players union has adamantly opposed banning the technique, and some defensive players and coaches have lamented another rule that conceivably would favor offensive players. Questions have also been raised about the viability of officials being again to consistently officiate the technique in real time during fast-paced action. Vincent, who oversees the league’s officiating department, maintains that he has assurances from referees that the play can be properly officiated. 

The competition committee studied the technique after the 2022 season but never formally proposed a rule change. With another season of study, though, it has advanced the push for a rule that would be similar to the ban on horse-collar tackles.

It won’t be an easy sell. But armed with more data – and undoubtedly with the support of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell – the movement to get the technique out of the game is gaining steam.