Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jamel Dean had his eyes in the backfield when New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough took the shotgun snap, faked the handoff and darted for the right pylon.

The Steelers were protecting a seven-point lead in a game they eventually won 16-10. Dean matched Shough’s effort to turn the corner and reach the end zone by running parallel to the goal line. Then he made the calculated decision that Shough would dive for the pylon. Once the second-year signal-caller “declared,” as Dean put it, Dean punched where he guessed the ball would be in that critical moment of intersection and collision.

What happened next has played out across the NFL all season long. The ball came loose, hit the pylon (to be ruled a touchback) and Dean turned a potential game-tying play into a game-saving one because of the prevalence of the “Peanut Punch,” named after former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman who perfected the move and harassed ballcarriers for more than a decade.

“Now it’s almost like they’re expecting me to get the ball out, now that I’ve shown that I’m capable of doing it,” Dean told USA TODAY Sports.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean, who is tied for second in the league with 3 forced fumbles, said hunting the ball is drilled into every defender.

“But I guess I can say I’ve put a bit of an extra emphasis on it than I ever have this year,” he told USA TODAY Sports.

Through eight weeks of play, forced fumbles have increased by 32.3 percent year-over-year – 2025 was an especially down year for forced fumbles. In 2026, there have been average of 1.73 forced fumbles per game. The Raiders lead all teams with 12 forced fumbles, while the New York Jets, Steelers and Cleveland Browns all enter Week 9 with 10.

Nakobe Dean doesn’t necessarily classify his successful forced fumbles as punches. They are more of a slap, he said. But the tactic speaks to the league-wide uptick, Nakobe Dean said, because defenders are not sacrificing a tackle during the strip attempt.

“You see guys who have mastered getting a punch on a ball and also making a tackle, which is harder than what you would imagine if you’re making a real attempt at the ball,” he said.

The “Peanut Punch” is coached league-wide, and every second defender into a scrum as the tackle is being made by a teammate is always searching for the ball. Some of Nakobe Dean’s college coaches at Georgia spoke about the importance, but his pro coaches have always put a greater emphasis on trying to knock the ball loose from ballcarriers.

That trend is now flowing up from the college level, Nakobe Dean said, with rookies such as Jacob Rodriguez of the Miami Dolphins having already perfected the maneuver, according to ESPN analyst Louis Riddick. Rodriguez had seven forced fumbles during his final season at Texas Tech.

“He’s a turnover machine,” Riddick said during draft coverage in April.

Rodriguez’s first successful NFL “Peanut Punch” came during a Week 8 loss, when the linebacker flew in and punched the ball out of the cradle of New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism.

“You see his attempts on the ball,” Nakobe Dean noted before Rodriguez popped one out.

Running the ball and controlling the clock is in vogue again. Teams are relying on multiple tight-end formations in that effort. Risk aversion in the passing game is another factor.  

The new kickoff rule and the constraints placed on defenders from an officiating standpoint makes for a “very offensive game,” Baltimore Ravens defensive back Kyle Hamilton said. The defense needs every opportunity to give the ball back to the offense.

“That’s something that’s preached around the league on a daily basis,” Hamilton told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s funny seeing younger guys coming into the league during camp, especially ballcarriers, realize how many guys are going to be punching at the ball at this level. There’s kind of a growing period with that, with some offensive guys. It’s definitely more of an emphasis at this level, I would say, than college.”

Jamel Dean wasn’t punching at the rate he is now at the start of his career. But he said there is a higher premium on forced fumbles in 2026.

“Interceptions don’t come that often, but at least you can make an effort play on a tackle – shoot, you got more attempts at that,” said Dean, who also has three forced fumbles on the season.

And turnovers are “oxygen” for NFL defenses, as Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg said while discussing one of his unit’s 10 forced fumbles – this one specifically coming via a punchout – this season.

“The ball's our oxygen,” he told reporters. “I'm sure I get boring saying it, but it's in our DNA. It's what we believe in. We have opportunities in practice and periods to practice it. It's what (head coach Todd Monken) believes in. It's one of the keys to winning football games, is taking the ball away.”

Like Rodriguez, other players around the league have garnered a reputation for being punchers. Los Angeles Rams linebacker Nate Landman forced two fumbles by Buffalo Bills linebacker James Cook that nearly swung the outcome of an overtime “Monday Night Football” game. Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates is one of the league’s best at the “Peanut Punch,” evidenced by his forced fumble to save a touchdown in his team’s Week 8 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers may have the current top billing, with he and the Browns’ Quincy Williams tied for the league lead in forced fumbles (4).

The “Peanut Punch” isn’t going anywhere from a rule or enforcement standpoint.                              

“Ball security means everything in this game,” NFL vice president of operations Troy Vincent said at the fall league meeting last month – sounding every bit like the former pro cornerback he is. “The onus is on the player to protect that ball.”

Defensive players run the risk of drawing a penalty with a hit to the helmet or facemask. But the bigger danger is to themselves and their own hands. During training camp, Nakobe Dean said, his hand became caught in a facemask after he tried a punch. Shoulder pads, helmets, forearms, elbows – none feel good despite being the aggressor, Dean said.

“It’s the price of admission … my hands sometimes be sore,” he said.

Jamel Dean came across Tillman highlights about a year ago – a game in which he forced three fumbles was in his social-media algorithm – and he said to himself, “dude, he’s a ballhawk, I got to start chances like him.”

Tillman finished sixth all time on the NFL forced fumbles list (44, including 10 during his 2012 All-Pro season). He was not available through the Bears, although his post-playing career has been interesting itself – he became a FBI agent but left the agency in 2025 and now works for the NBA in a gambling integrity role.

Forcing fumbles is part of the Steelers’ culture, Jamel Dean said. That’s one way to fit in during his first year with his new organization. 

Defenders are constantly looking for opportunities when the ballcarrier finds himself in a vulnerable position. The signals, Jamel Dean said, can occur when a runner is making a cut “and they get kind of real wide when they cut with their arms.” A player exposing the ball while reaching or diving is another prime window for a punch. But striking while the ballcarrier is going to the ground is key, he said.

“The more attempts you get,” Dean said, “the higher the chance of it actually coming out.”