BREAKING: NFL makes significant change to injured reserve rule

This amendment will influence how preseason roster cuts are managed. Amidst the attention given to the NFL’s prohibition of the hip-drop tackle and significant alterations to kickoff rules, there’s a noteworthy adjustment regarding injured reserve that will affect preseason roster decisions.

Previously, placing players on injured reserve (IR) during preseason automatically meant the end of their season. However, due to this amendment introduced at the annual league meeting in Orlando, that’s no longer the case.

The amendment, proposed by the Competition Committee, modifies Article XVII, Section 17.16(C) to allow each team to designate a maximum of two players from an applicable Reserve List on the business day of the final roster reduction for potential return. These designated players will count as two of the club’s total designations.

This change is significant because now, up to two players don’t have to initially secure spots on the 53-man roster to be placed on IR, physically unable to perform (PUP), or non-football injury (NFI) lists, and can still potentially return later in the regular season. Teams can allocate a maximum of eight slots for injured reserve players eligible to return during the season.

In essence, this adjustment should decrease the necessity for teams to execute procedural maneuvers like “waive, hope [Player A] clears waivers, immediately re-sign” on cutdown day to navigate around previous regulations. It’s a positive rule change aimed at streamlining roster management.

Regarding another IR rule modification: teams now have an unrestricted number of designated-for-return transactions in the postseason, provided those players miss a minimum of four games.