Roquan Smith had 18 tackles in the Ravens 41-31 win over the Buccaneers, and one of those stops ended Chris Godwin’s season, when the Tampa wide receiver suffered a dislocated ankle.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports is reporting that Smith will be fined for what the league labeled a “hip drop tackle” on the Buccaneers star pass catcher.
The tackle is at least the ninth such instance of the now-prohibited hip-drop tackle the NFL has sought to eradicate from the game. But by the start of Week 8, there have been zero on-field penalties for the play.
Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith is facing a fine of $16,883 for what would be his first offense of the new rule, and Smith is able to appeal that fine with the league.
Godwin led the league in receptions (50), was second in receiving yards (576) and was tied for third-most touchdowns (5) in the league at the time of his injury.
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews suffered a similar ankle injury during a hip-drop tackle by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson on November 16, 2023 of last season.
