NFL expands injured reserve rules

One of the things that NFL fans and observers liked the most regarding the COVID Amendment to the CBA over the past couple of years was the ability to return an unlimited number of players from injured reserve after just a three game stint on the list. Wednesday the NFL officially adopted expanded practice squad rules similar to those that had been in use for the past couple of seasons, so it would make logical sense that the league could adopt the IR rules of the past couple of seasons as well.

The league often does not operate in the most logical of manners, however, in this situation it appears it operated logically enough that fans will appreciate that the league is indeed changing its IR protocols.

So, for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the NFL, it’s not an unlimited number of players, but rather eight players who may be designated to return from injured reserve. In addition, the league opted to reduce the amount of time a player must spend on injured reserve from eight games to four games.

A big change, however, is that a player may be designated to return from injured reserve up to two times each season. In the past a player could only be designated to return once, meaning a second stint on injured reserve meant the player’s season was over. Now, though, with players eligible to be designated for return twice, only a third trip ends the player’s season.