In Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit and drew matching $10,128 fines for that and his profane gestured as he walked off the field. He was fined again on Saturday, for an unpenalized infraction in Week 10.
Branch has been fined $10,128 for a hip-drop tackle on Texans wide receiver Robert Woods late in the third quarter.
#Lions S Brian Branch was fined $10,128 for this hip-drop tackle on Robert Woods pic.twitter.com/CRo2QRkZ1a
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) November 16, 2024
The NFL fined Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch $10,128 for this hip-drop tackle 😬#OnePride pic.twitter.com/JLXE6Xxizj
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) November 16, 2024
The NFL has been trying to take the hip-drop tackle out of the game, with a play that injured Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews last season cited as a textbook example of what not to do. Here's what the league defines as a hip drop tackle.
"A hip-drop tackle occurs when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier’s legs during the tackle. The NFL analyzed more than 20,000 tackles over the past two seasons and determined that this specific technique causes lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles, resulting in an unacceptable risk to player health and safety."
Branch sort of committed what the league is watching for, putting his body weight on the back of Woods' legs when he made the tackle. But it doesn't look egregious, and the level of expectation that officials will be able to see and flag hip-drop tackles at full-speed is and will continue to be ridiculous.
It's also fair to say Branch has a little extra attention on him in the league office right now, with previous double fines from Week 3 for a helmet-to-helmet hit and fighting in that game before what happened in Week 9.
How much has Brian Branch been fined this season?
This is the fifth time Branch has been fined this season (and the eighth time in his career). This year's fines now total $50,640. That's nearly a full game check that he has been docked ($61,923), based on his base salary for this year ($1,114,625).
Despite his trouble with drawing fines, Branch is having a great season (50 total tackles, four interceptions, 13 pass breakups, Pro Football Focus No. 1-graded safety).