From IR and PUP to practice squads: What do NFL roster designations mean?

NFL rosters constantly evolve as general managers juggle injuries, try to improve position groups and add depth.

Teams enter training camp with a maximum of 90 players, who try to prove they belong on the 53-man active roster for the regular season.

But there are other roster designations that fill the NFL’s transactions wire daily. What do they all mean?

Injured reserve

Players are put on the reserve/injured list - commonly referred to as IR - when they have a football-related injury and need to miss at least a few weeks. Players on IR don’t count against the active roster, but their salaries count against the cap.

If a player is placed on this list before the regular season begins, he could miss the entire season unless they are designated to return during the roster cutdown to 53 players after training camp. Teams can designate up to two such players to return.

Players on IR need to miss a minimum of four games. NFL teams can designate up to eight players to return from IR during the regular season (and up to 10 if they make the postseason) and an individual player can be so designated twice.

Players designated for return from IR before the season count against a team’s eight- or 10-player limit.

When a player is cleared to practice, a 21-day window begins and the player must be activated to the 53-man roster or be placed on season-ending injured reserve at the conclusion of that three-week period. They could also be released or traded.

Physically unable to perform

Players put on the active/physically unable to perform list - or PUP - at the start of training camp have football-related injuries, like those on IR, but count against the active roster.

These players can participate in all team activities other than practice and can be activated at any point during camp when they are medically cleared.

A player can’t be placed on the PUP list after he has practiced once or played in a preseason game.

Players on the active/PUP list could be moved to the reserve/PUP list during roster cutdowns. If placed on the reserve/PUP list, a player doesn’t count against the active roster and must miss at least four games. A rule change this season allows these players to begin a 21-day practice period after their team’s second regular-season game.

Non-football injury/illness

Players can be placed on this list if they are injured outside of football - perhaps working out in the offseason or doing a recreational activity - or have a long-term illness not associated with playing.

Rookies still recovering from injuries suffered in college often are placed on the active/NFI list to start their pro careers.

If a player remains on NFI after the final roster cutdowns, they can be placed on the reserve/NFI list and will sit out at least four games. They don’t count against the 53-man roster limit.

Reserve/suspended

Players who are suspended by the NFL for violating league rules are placed on this list and don’t count against a team’s roster limit.

What’s the difference between being waived and being released?

Players with less than four seasons of accrued NFL time are waived, meaning they are subject to waivers and can be claimed by other teams. If they go unclaimed after the 24-hour waiver period, they become a free agent.

Players with four or more seasons accrued are considered vested veterans and are not subject to waivers, so they immediately become free agents when they are released. This is the case until the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 10, after which all players regardless of their veteran status are subject to waivers.

Players can also be waived/injured, which means they can be claimed by another team or revert to their original team’s IR list after the claiming period. The team can then decide whether it wants to move forward with the player or release him with an injury settlement.

What is the practice squad?

Teams can form practice squads after final cuts on Aug. 30. NFL teams can have 16 players on their practice squad - or 17, as long as one of those players is part of the league’s International Player Pathway program. ( Those players have a primary residence outside of the United States or Canada.)

While most players on the practice squad are rookies or have limited playing experience, six of the 17 can be veterans with no limit on the amount of seasons they have accrued.

Players on the practice squad participate in practice during the regular season, but don’t play unless they’re elevated to the active roster before a game. Players can be promoted a maximum of three times in a season and then must be signed to the 53-man roster.

They can be signed by other teams at any point while on the practice squad, but that team then must keep them on its 53-man roster.

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