The Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers met on October 8 for the first time since December 2024. So, Thursday Night Football was bound to be full of energy. Last time, the Cowboys defeated the Buccaneers 26-24 in AT&T Stadium. While the Cowboys tried to maintain the streak this time as well, one of the players, defensive back Reddy Steward, got into a sticky spot.

Joey Porter Jr. was ruled out of Thursday night’s game because of an illness. Dallas confirmed Steward’s activation from the practice squad for the third consecutive game. But that decision now turns out to be costly.

“Was this an attempted ‘hip drop’ tackle on Bucky Irving?? #NFL #Bucs #TNF,” wrote NFL and Arkansas insider for XPAND Sports, Tanner Phifer, sharing the clip of the play.

Bucky Irving scored a first-half receiving touchdown by pulling away from Cowboys defensive back Steward and diving across the goal line. 

The clip showed Steward grabbing Irving by his hips and putting his whole weight on him to pin Irving to the ground. However, the Tampa Bay player did not let the ball slip out of his hands and lost his balance, falling to the ground only after hitting the goal line. 

The play sparked social media debate, with videos circulating that examined whether Steward tried to bring Irving down with a hip-drop tackle, a technique that is already officially banned by the NFL, hence making it illegal.

In addition to that, there has already been a lot of buzz with World Rugby about outlawing the dangerous hip-drop tackle.

“The “hip drop” tackle, where a tackler uses their bodyweight to pull a player to ground and drops onto the legs of a ball carrier from behind, will be explicitly added to foul play law and will be sanctioned with at least a penalty kick,” World Rugby said in its media release.

In the NFL, a player can be fined $17,911 for a hip-drop tackle, with a second violation carrying a $23,882 fine. Besides, it was decided that it will come with a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.

The league introduced a ban on hip-drop tackles in March 2024 after data indicated that the technique was 20% to 25% more likely to result in injuries than a standard tackle. The ban was introduced to reduce the risk of serious lower-body injuries.

We have seen what happened to running back Cam Skattebo after Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun pulled off a hip-drop tackle, leaving Skattebo with a gruesome ankle injury. A dislocated ankle, fractured fibula, and ruptured ligament ended Skattebo’s rookie campaign.

The competition committee described the prohibited tackle as one in which a defender grabs a runner with both hands or wraps both arms around them, then swivels and drops his hips or lower body to land on and trap the runner’s legs at or below the knee. The description matches Steward’s tackle on Irving. 

But there still remained a grey area. While the NFL introduced the ban to improve player safety, the NFL Players Association raised concerns about the rule’s lack of clarity, arguing that players could struggle to identify what qualified as a hip-drop tackle.

Even though none of the players were injured during the play, the NFL is likely to take strict action against Steward, who was not flagged.

Meanwhile, when it comes to Irving, it is a deja vu. Last season, during the Buccaneers’ face-off against the New York Jets, Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams executed the controversial hip-drop tackle. Even though he was not flagged on the play, a $17,389 fine arrived days later. Maybe that’s the same fate Steward will undergo, who is already standing in neck-deep water. 

Reddy Steward Faces Enhanced Scrutiny Due to a Poor Penalty History

Steward’s situation is complicated by his penalty history.

“Dude I feel bad for Reddy Steward man he’s getting cooked week after week,” weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter on KFDM/FOX4, Cam Sanderson, said. 

When it comes to Steward’s penalty history, he has already been in the bad book. Last year, the Cowboys received a $4,667 fine for his horse-collar tackle on Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones. The then-second-year defensive back was penalized 15 yards for the play, which also bore similarities to a hip-drop tackle. 

After Jones gained 18 yards, Steward shifted his weight and landed on the back of the running back’s legs as he brought him down, quite similar to the one that happened to Irving. The penalty pushed Minnesota to Dallas’s 20-yard line, setting up the Vikings’ first touchdown of the game on the following snap.

This season, too, Steward could not stay away from the scrutiny. Even before the hip drop tackle on Irving, he was flagged for unnecessary roughness in their game against the Houston Texans.

The play unfolded at the 10:50 mark on second-and-6, as C.J. Stroud delivered a deep pass to Nico Collins on the right side for a 22-yard touchdown. As Collins went to the ground to complete the scoring play, Steward arrived late and made contact with the receiver’s head and neck area, partially knocking off his helmet.

The officials penalized the Cowboys cornerback for unnecessary roughness. The touchdown remained valid, and the eight-yard penalty was enforced between downs on Houston’s subsequent extra-point attempt.

Now, it’s time to see what decision the NFL will take against Steward after the Tampa Bay face-off.