NFL Changes Playoff Rules In Light Of Covid-19 Outbreak

The world has had to adjust a lot during the almost two years of living in a pandemic and the NFL is no exception. The NFL has announced that it has made a playoff rule change. Teams will now be able to elevate an unlimited number of players from the practice squad.

Before the new rule, teams were only allowed to call up a player twice and the player had to pass through waivers after the second time. If the player passed waivers, they would need to be on an NFL deal instead of a practice squad deal. Now, the athlete can be promoted on a practice squad deal in the playoffs. The new rule applies to this postseason only.

This rule could not have come at a better time as the NFL is currently experiencing its worst Covid-19 outbreak. The Washington Football Team has as many as 18 players on the list this week. The Cleveland Browns are without quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski because of positive tests. Around 100 players across the league have been put on the Covid list in the past four days.

Rumors continue to fly surrounding Covid-19 and if the NFL will step in to mandate the vaccine or encourage the booster. If they don’t require it, they may instead find ways to incentivize athletes to do it.

“One idea being discussed is “incentivizing” players to get the Covid-19 booster shot with the promise the league will stop testing players who have received it,” senior NFL Reporter Albert Breer said.

The league is also considering allowing vaccinated, asymptomatic players who test positive for the coronavirus to return to the team sooner.