The Cleveland Browns and the rest of the league will have to adjust to the new rules.
Starting next season, the controversial hip-drop tackle will now be penalized.
A hip-drop tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
This was made in an attempt to take down injuries, and former Browns star Eric Metcalf agrees.
Talking on Bally Sports Cleveland, he argued that as much as some people don’t like this, no one knows what it’s like until you actually experience it (via Bally Sports Cleveland on Twitter).
"Until you experience something like that, you don't understand."@EricMetcalf21 weighs in on the NFL's decision to ban the hip-drop tackle and why it was ultimately the correct choice.@loebsleads | @BleavNetwork pic.twitter.com/ByUTjuc2aa
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) March 31, 2024
He has a valid point, and player safety should be first and foremost for league officials and decision-makers, but this raises plenty of concerns.
For starters, determining whether a tackle was a hip-drop tackle or not could be subjective.
On the other hand, it could also lead to further or greater injuries as the defensive players will most likely have no choice but to land on their opposition’s arms or shoulders.
NFL executive VP Jeff Milner argued that the hip-drop tackle was up six percent last season from the previous campaign, which was obviously a big concern for the league.
It’ll be interesting to see how defensive players adapt to this new rule, and we should expect plenty of penalties early in the season.
The new rules make life difficult for defensive players, which is why it’s not a surprise to see them complaining left and right.
Then again, the Browns have one of the best defensive coaching staffs in the game, so we trust they will have the players ready.
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