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Hip-Drop Tackle and Tush Push Rules in 2026, Explained

The hip-drop tackle is illegal in the NFL: it costs the defense 15 yards and an automatic first down under Rule 12, Section 2, Article 18 of the 2026 NFL rulebook. New for 2026, it is also one of five safety fouls that count toward a one-game suspension once a player commits three in a season. The tush push, by contrast, is still legal in 2026, because no team even proposed banning it this year.

The two plays get lumped together because both were targeted by the league on safety grounds within the past three seasons. One lost that fight and one won it. Here is what each play is, what the rulebook says now, and how the 2026 discipline system works.

What is a hip-drop tackle?

A hip-drop tackle is a technique where the tackler grabs the ball carrier, then swivels and drops his own hips so his body weight lands on the runner's legs. The 2026 rulebook defines it as a foul when a player:

  • grabs the runner with one or both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and
  • 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.

The penalty is "Loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down," per the NFL rulebook. Both parts of the definition have to be present. A normal wrap tackle where both players fall is not a hip-drop tackle.

When did the NFL ban the hip-drop tackle?

NFL owners approved the ban at the Annual League Meeting in March 2024, with the Competition Committee unanimous in support. Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, said the technique has "20 to 25 times the injury rate" of a standard tackle, NFL.com reported. Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said at the time the league expected to handle most cases through discipline during the week, because the full technique is hard to see live.

That is roughly how the first season went. In 2024 the league issued 27 fines for hip-drop tackles and 11 were rescinded on appeal, according to Pro Football Talk. For 2025 the league widened the wording in two places: a foul can now come from grabbing with "one or both hands" instead of both, and from "landing on and/or trapping" the legs instead of both. That is the text still in force in 2026.

The 2026 hip-drop tackle suspension rule

On Aug. 26, 2026, the NFL and NFL Players Association announced a new accountability system in a joint statement. Beginning this season, discipline focuses on five health and safety violations:

Foul Rulebook penalty summary
Hip-drop tackle 15 yards and automatic first down (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 18)
Horse-collar tackle 15 yards and automatic first down (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 16)
Launching Named by the NFL and NFLPA as a 2026 safety category
Hit on a defenseless player 15 yards (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9)
Blindside block 15 yards (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 7)

The list of five comes from the NFL and NFLPA statement; penalty references come from the 2026 NFL rulebook.

The key terms from that statement:

  • Three strikes: players who commit three offenses in any of these categories during a season are suspended for one game. The three can be any mix, for example one hip-drop tackle, one horse-collar tackle and one blindside block.
  • Refund for a one-off: a player who commits only one violation gets 50% of the fine back at the end of the season.
  • Clean slate: every player starts 2026 at zero, but violations will carry forward into later seasons.
  • Team and coach accountability: coaches must join players in league meetings when a player approaches the threshold, and clubs with excessive violations face increased financial penalties.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports that an offense counts whether it is flagged during the game or fined after a postgame review. That matters for the hip-drop tackle in particular, since the league has always expected many of them to be caught on film rather than by officials on the field.

What is the tush push?

The tush push is a quarterback sneak where teammates line up behind the quarterback and shove him forward the moment the ball is snapped. The play was popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles, who have used it for years in short-yardage situations.

The tush push is legal because of how the rulebook words assisting the runner. Rule 12, Section 1, Article 4 says no offensive player may "pull a runner in any direction at any time," with a 10-yard penalty, but it says nothing against pushing him (NFL rulebook). Pushing used to be illegal too. The NFL removed the "pushing" part of the rule in 2005, the Boston Globe reported.

Is the tush push banned in 2026?

No, the tush push is not banned in 2026. No team submitted a proposal to ban it before the 2026 Annual League Meeting, so owners never voted on it this year (FOX Sports, NBC Sports Philadelphia).

It came close in 2025. The Green Bay Packers proposed a ban, and a vote at the league's annual meeting was tabled on April 1, 2025, after a 16 to 16 split, per ESPN. A revised Packers proposal, which would have banned pushing or pulling a runner "in any direction at any time" and lifting him to his feet, then failed on May 21, 2025. It received 22 votes, two short of the 24 needed, with 10 teams against (NFL.com).

The debate is quieter, not closed. "I don't know that it's the end of the debate, because I think there's still people that are concerned with the whole pushing element," McKay said in March 2026 (NBC Sports Philadelphia). The same report says the Eagles converted more than 81% of their tush pushes in 2024 but 63.6% in 2025, and McKay noted that a traditional quarterback sneak now succeeds more often than the tush push.

Hip-drop tackle vs tush push: where each stands in 2026

Play Legal in 2026? What the rulebook says Latest change
Hip-drop tackle No 15 yards and automatic first down (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 18) Counts toward a one-game suspension after three safety fouls (Aug. 2026)
Pulling the runner No 10 yards (Rule 12, Section 1, Article 4) None
Pushing the runner (tush push) Yes Not prohibited Ban failed 22 to 10 in May 2025; no proposal in 2026

If you follow rule changes closely, our explainer on NFL overtime rules covers the other rule fans ask about most during the season.

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The tush push made Philadelphia's quarterback and offensive line famous for a single yard at a time. Our NFL page covers every team, including the Jalen Hurts jersey and the Jordan Mailata jersey.

Frequently asked questions

Is the hip-drop tackle banned in the NFL?

Yes. The NFL banned the hip-drop tackle before the 2024 season, and the 2026 rulebook still lists it as a personal foul under Rule 12, Section 2, Article 18. It is defined as grabbing or wrapping the runner, then swiveling and dropping the hips so the tackler lands on or traps the runner's legs at or below the knee.

What is the penalty for a hip-drop tackle?

A hip-drop tackle is a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down for the offense. The player can also be fined after the league reviews the game film. In 2026 a hip-drop tackle also counts as one of five safety fouls toward a one-game suspension, triggered by a third offense in a single season.

Can an NFL player be suspended for hip-drop tackles?

Yes, starting in 2026. Under the new NFL and NFLPA system, a player who commits three offenses in a season among hip-drop tackles, horse-collar tackles, launching, hits on defenseless players and blindside blocks is suspended for one game. The offenses can be any mix of those five fouls, and every player started 2026 with a clean slate.

Is the tush push illegal in 2026?

No. The tush push is legal in 2026. The rulebook bans pulling a runner but not pushing him, and no team submitted a proposal to change that before the 2026 league meeting. The most recent attempt, a Packers proposal in May 2025, fell two votes short of the 24 needed to pass.

Why did the tush push ban fail?

A rule change needs 24 of 32 teams, and the Packers' proposal got 22 votes in May 2025, with 10 teams against. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and former Eagles center Jason Kelce spoke at the meeting in support of keeping the play, and no team proposed a new ban for 2026.

Sources

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