Former Bengals Linebacker Markus Bailey Weighs in on NFL's Hip-Drop Tackle Ban

The veteran linebacker shared his thoughts on the rule change.

Author:
James Rapien
Mar 27, 2024

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Hip drop tackle

Cincinnati Bengals

Markus Bailey

CINCINNATI — The NFL officially banned the hip-drop tackle this week. Defenders will be penalized 15 yards and offenses will get an automatic first down if there is an infraction.

Former Bengals linebacker Markus Bailey weighed in on the issue. The 27-year-old is a free agent after spending the past four seasons in Cincinnati.

"I understand the sentiment of trying to get the bad ones out of the game but like most people have been saying, it's going to be very difficult to police and I think some big plays in big moments may be overturned because of it," Bailey tweeted. "When open-field tackling, especially when a runner is going forward and towards the sideline on the perimeter, you're supposed to track their inside hip. You do this because it's the most effective way to prevent the runner from being able to cutback while also limiting the chances that you, as the defender, will have to stop your feet at all. "

Bailey appeared in 60 games for the Bengals over the past four seasons. He's primarily a special teamer, but could return to the team and will certainly be in the NFL this season.

Bailey shared more thoughts on the rule, why it makes it hard on the defense and even answered a question about the difference between football and rugby.

Check out his tweets below:

Something else to consider when thinking about the hip-drop tackle.

When open-field tackling, especially when a runner is going forward and towards the sideline on the perimeter, you're supposed to track their inside hip. You do this because it's the most effective way to…
— Markus Bailey (@mb_boiler21) March 26, 2024

This has been a common and understandable question for people opposing the rule change. Even though both sports involve tackling, it's not really apples to apples.

1). There are no downs in rugby and the field dimensions are larger. Ground is more valuable in football because… https://t.co/CFIhJBWnJb
— Markus Bailey (@mb_boiler21) March 27, 2024