Roger Goodell Says NFL Needs to Work to Get Hip-Drop Tackles Out of the Game

The NFL has already outlawed horse-collar tackles, and it may do the same with hip-drop tackles in the near future.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke about the concerns regarding the hip-drop tackles on Wednesday and said, "I think we all should work to get that out of the game," per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.

Hip-drop tackles occur when defenders wrap their arms around the player with the ball from either the side or behind and then drop to the ground like dead weight. The risk typically comes because the defenders land on the offensive player's legs with such a tackle.

It has made a number of headlines this season thanks to marquee injuries to Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, among others.

Andrews has not played since a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals when linebacker Logan Wilson tackled him from behind. As for Smith, he was actually the one flagged for his reaction to a hip-drop tackle from New York Giants safety Isaiah Simmons in October:

In October, Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press noted that NFL executive Jeff Miller said assessments indicated players were 25 times more likely to be injured by a hip-drop tackle than a standard one.

"It is an unforgiving behavior and one that we need to try to define and get out of the game," Miller said. "To quantify it for you, we see an injury more or less every week in the regular season on the hip-drop."

While football is inherently a dangerous game, such numbers are alarming for a league that wants to keep its players healthy and on the field.

It has taken action in the past on horse-collar tackles and helmet-to-helmet hits in the interest of player safety, and the urgency in Goodell's comments suggests it will do the same in the near future with hip-drop tackles.

Anything but the play being ruled out of the game in 2024 would be a surprise at this point.