As the NFL prepares for the upcoming season, the league's competition committee is said to be contemplating whether or not hip-drop tackles will be banned from the game moving forward, per NFL.com's Judy Battista.

A hip-drop tackle is when a player wraps himself around another, then drops his own weight to his opponent's legs to bring the opponent down to the ground. In other words, the player doing the tackling is basically using himself as an anchor or deadweight to bring down his foe.

Discussions regarding the controversial tackle peaked back in November last year when Baltimore Ravens Tight End Mark Andrews sustained a serious ankle injury following a hip-drop tackle by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson. While Wilson had no intention of injuring the tight end, Andrews ended up having surgery on his ankle, which caused him to miss the rest of the season save the AFC championship game.

Other notable names that have been recently hurt due to the hip drop tackle include Geno Smith, Patrick Mahomes and Tony Pollard. Smith was injured in the Seattle Seahawks' Week 4 outing when New York Giants linebacker Isaiah Simmons hip-dropped him along the sidelines. Mahomes and Pollard, on the other hand, sustained injuries because of the said move during the 2022-23 postseason.

As the NFL continues to find ways to improve player safety, the hip-drop tackle is nearing the same fate that the horse-collar tackle had way back in 2005. While there's no official announcement yet, a decision will most likely be made before the 2024 season begins.