What is a hip drop tackle and did it injure Texans’ Joe Mixon? [Video]

HOUSTON — The hip-drop tackle — it’s a term you’re going to be hearing more about, especially after Texans’ running back Joe Mixon went down with an injury Sunday night in Houston’s win over Chicago.

So what is a hip-drop tackle? According to the league, it’s when “…a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto the ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.”

It was banned by the NFL in 2024. 

So far, no discipline has been handed down to Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, who tackled Mixon. The league is reportedly reviewing it.  A flag wasn’t thrown.

Mixon himself took to social media on Monday, posting this on X: “The NFL and NFLPA made it a rule and an emphasis for a reason. Time to put your money where your mouth is.”