NFL Tweaks IR/Practice Squad Rules

When the NFL was forced to rejigger some of its practice squad/IR rules to finish a full season during the Covid-19 pandemic, many thought things would eventually return to normal. They were half-correct: Some of the changes will be sticking around, while others will not.

See which rules made the cut and which did not below:

With regards to the IR:

• Teams will be permitted to return eight players from the IR list or reserve/non-football injury/illness list in 2022; last year the number was unlimited.
• A player may be designated to return a maximum of two times in one year, with each counting against the franchise’s final tally.
• A player designated to return is eligible to return to practice or the active/inactive list after four games since he was placed on the reserve list.

Vis a vis the practice squad:

• The league is keeping the number at 16. The players who can be added to this group are players who have not accrued one season of NFL experience, free agents who were on the active list for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season or seasons, and a maximum of 10 free agents who have earned no more than two accrued seasons.
• Teams can also have a maximum of six veterans with an unlimited sum of accrued seasons on their practice squads, as long the players in the latter two categories don’t exceed 10.
• A practice squad player can be elevated for a maximum of three regular-season games in the same year and any number of postseason games without taking up a spot on the 53-man active roster. Last year it was just two.