New Rules at Roster Cutdowns

Primer on the new Injured Reserve and PUP Reserve rules for 2024.

Newly updated NFL bylaws should make this year’s 53-man roster cutdowns less confusing. Why you ask? I’ll explain what has changed with the operation of roster cutdowns.

Are you a new subscriber to the Cap & Trade Newsletter, welcome! This newsletter covers the NFL salary cap and news across the league with additional coverage of the Houston Texans. I have been covering the Houston Texans since 2012, and 2017 as credentialed media and have been working at OverTheCap.com for the past 8 years. To assist with the data in this newsletter I subscribe to many paywall-type websites for data sourcing and aggregation, but I'm always searching for more sources. While this newsletter remains free, you can activate a paid subscription to assist in making this newsletter even better:

Good day to everyone!

We are just days away from the final slate of NFL preseason games, to be then followed by the craziness of NFL roster cutdowns. A mass league-wide roster reduction of thirty-two NFL teams reducing their active roster from 90+ players to 53 players.

As part of that process is the roster shuffling required to move certain players to Reserve to ensure those players are eligible to return during the season.

Back History

In recent years the NFL has implemented the ability for teams to return players from Reserve (Injured, PUP, NFI, etc.) back to the playing field in a shorter timeframe.

Years ago this process was an 8-week delay. The league rules also stipulated players had to be activated by a specific portion of the season. Honestly, the whole process made no sense. Slowly, year by year, the NFL Owners have adjusted the bylaws (Football Operations rules) to create a simpler process.

This included allowing a specific number of players to be eligible to return to the Active roster after 4 games if placed on Reserve for a football injury. Prior to the 2024 season, the team had to carry players onto the initial 53-man roster. This required roster shuffling meaning the release of players only to re-sign the same players back to the Active roster two days later. An unnecessary step creating more paperwork for everyone involved.

For example: In 2023 the Houston Texans released RB Mike Boone and LB Cory Littleton to carry P Cam Johnston and OL Juice Scruggs onto the initial 53-man roster followed by a move to the Reserve/Injured list. Boone and Littleton were re-signed two days later. The process is, generally, completed with vested veterans to avoid the waiver process.

Fast forward to 2024, the league has taken the first step in smoothing out this process. Excerpt from the NFL By-Laws amendment letter:

TLDR; teams can move two players to Reserve/Injured during the final roster cutdown process while maintaining the ability to return those players to the active roster. If the team needs to carry additional players to Reserve/Injured, those players will need to be on the initial 53-man roster.

Reserve/PUP and Reserve/NFI rules were adjusted as well. Players moved to Reserve/PUP or NFI must be placed on reserve during the final roster cutdown process, not before, to ensure those players are eligible to return.

Example: The Houston Texans could place LB Christian Harris and WR Noah Brown on Reserve/Injured during the final 53-man roster reduction while maintaining the ability to return them to the active roster after 4 games.

If the team needed to have more players eligible for return, then player number 3 and so forth would need to be on the initial 53-man roster and then moved to Reserve/Injured on the next business day.

Using the Houston Texans again as an example. A few potential vested veterans who could be utilized for the release and re-sign to carry another player to Reserve/Injured are MJ Stewart, Dare Ogunbowale, Jon Weeks, or Mario Edwards. The goal is to use veterans with minimal guaranteed salaries to minimize the salary cap impact.

Here is a basic flow diagram for the new Reserve/Injured (IR) and PUP and NFI/Reserve processes for the 2024 league year:

Looking forward to 2025 and beyond, I would expect the league to adjust the bylaws again with an increase from two eligible players to four maybe five players. A no-limit option is most likely not an avenue the league will take.

Upcoming Important Dates:

August 22-25: Third preseason weekend.

August 27, 4 pm EST: Teams must reduce their active roster to 53 players, and complete designations for players for Reserve including Injured, Physically Unable to Perform, Non-football Injury, and Non-football Illness. All players on Active/Inactive and Reserve will count towards the 90-player roster limit.

August 28, 12 pm EST: Claiming period for players placed on waivers will expire. Upon receipt of the Personnel Notice (league transaction wire), teams can start signing Practice Squad contracts. Practice Squad roster size maximum is 16 players (plus one International Exemption) with no more than 6 vested veterans.

September 1: Final day of preseason training camps.

September 2: Teams will start issuing practice reports to the league.

November 5, 4 pm EST: Deadline for teams to complete player trades.

I will be locked in next week as NFL teams work through their respective roster reductions. If you have any questions on the above details, please leave a comment below.

Thanks,

-TC

Photo credit to Jack Gorman of the Houston Press