Though it’s a minor footnote in an ugly Sunday in Philadelphia, it might not be so minor to CB James Pierre. Near the end of the Eagles’ 21-play drive to drain the final 10:29 in their 27-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pierre tackled WR A.J. Brown along the sideline to narrowly prevent a first down.
But it appears he did so by using the now-banned hip-drop tackle, Pierre dragging Brown down in a fashion that could lead to a large fine from the league.
Here’s a clip of the play. Pierre appears to meet the three-prong criteria of the hip drop to tackle Brown. Brown remained on the ground hurt for a few moments before being able to walk off under his own power and finish the game.
As we noted early in the season when examining a possible hip-drop tackle on QB Justin Fields by the Los Angeles Chargers, the league has a multi-prong test to determine if it reaches that bar. For a refresher, here’s how the league defines it.
“1. Grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms and
2. Unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”
Does James Pierre meet it? It’s clear he meets the first point. Pierre grabs and wraps his arms around Brown. There’s no disputing that.
On Point 2, Pierre does swivel his hips as he begins to take Brown to the ground. Finally, Brown’s left foot and ankle gets trapped underneath Pierre, meeting the last prong.
Based on the league’s definition, this seems to be a clear hip-drop tackle. Which will draw a fine from the league. And they aren’t cheap. Per the NFL’s list of infractions and fines, a first-offense hip-drop tackle results in a $16,883 fine. A second offense will cost a player $22,511.
Given that Pierre is making only a little over $1.1 million this season, the league could reduce his amount to make it relative to his salary. Pierre’s weekly game check is only a little over $30,000 (before taxes) meaning a fine of almost $17,000 accounts for more than half of it. Chicago Bears DL Chris Williams was fined only $5,472 in October for his hip-drop tackle on Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, presumably because Williams’ base salary is only $985,000 this season.
It’s hard to blame Pierre and it’s fair to wonder how else he could’ve tackled a big receiver like Brown shy of the sticks. But to the letter of the law, this is illegal. And the NFL has chosen to legislate it by fines more so than penalties.
The NFL releases its weekly fine list at 4 PM/EST each Saturday. That’s just about the time the Steelers play their next game, kicking off at 4:30 PM/EST Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens. With CB Donte Jackson’s status uncertain with a back injury, Pierre could end up starting. A true example of the highs and lows of a season and how they can blend together.
If fined, the best thing James Pierre could hope for is a win over the Ravens to clinch the AFC North and get himself a celebratory hat and T-shirt. And if anyone would like to buy those clothing items for $16,883, Pierre will probably listen.
