New NFL Three-Strike Suspension Policy Begins in 2026

The NFL and the NFL Players Association have agreed to a new three‑strike formula that will trigger automatic suspensions for repeated violations of five specific safety rules: hip‑drop tackles, horse‑collar tackles, launching, hits on defenseless players, and blindside blocks.

According to the NFLPA, the new procedure does not take effect until the 2026 regular season. This means that any fines issued for violations of the five rules during the current preseason will not count toward a player’s suspension tally.

The delay benefits several players who were fined for those infractions and would otherwise have accumulated suspension‑eligible violations.

Among them are Cardinals safety Dadrion Taylor‑Demerson, who was fined $7,148 for a hit on a defenseless player in Week 2 of the preseason, and his teammate, Cardinals safety Wydett Williams, fined $4,935 for a similar infraction in the same game.

Other players receiving fines include Bengals linebacker Shaka Heyward, $5,972 for a hip‑drop tackle in Week 2 preseason (currently on Cincinnati’s practice squad), and Chiefs tight end Jake Briningstool, $4,972 for a blindside block in the same week.

Rams linebacker Darryl Peterson III was fined $4,935 for a horse‑collar tackle in Week 1 preseason (also on the L.A. practice squad), and Buccaneers linebacker David Walker received a $6,254 fine for a blindside block in Week 1 preseason.

Because the policy starts in 2026, none of these players will be placed on strike two when the regular season begins, meaning they are still three violations of the same rule away from a suspension.

A one‑game suspension is triggered only after a player commits the same violation three times. Consequently, a player could theoretically break each of the five rules twice without facing any suspension.

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