PUP FAQ: What the Term Means and How It Affects Chiefs

Head coach Andy Reid said two starters -- cornerback Kristian Fulton and right tackle Jawaan Taylor – will join rookie tight end Tre Watson on the PUP list when the Chiefs kick off training camp practices Tuesday morning. What exactly does PUP mean?

What is PUP? -- PUP stands for physically unable to perform. It’s a collectively bargained term that simply means a player isn’t able to pass a physical in order to practice, due to a football injury (as opposed to a non-football injury or illness).

What are the two categories of PUP? -- There are two types of PUP designation, and each has significant differences. The most common designation is “active/PUP,” the list Fulton, Taylor and Watson have joined (giving rookie Nohl Williams some bonus reps at cornerback). Active/PUP allows the club to secure the player’s rights on the 90-man active roster until he’s able to pass a physical and return to practice. Reid on Sunday said Taylor was farther along than the others, meaning the right tackle likely will be the first to return to training-camp practice.

The second designation is “reserve/PUP.” Placing players on this list costs them playing time, a minimum of four regular-season games. Clubs don’t need to make these transactions – for players whose rights they want to retain but haven’t passed physicals – until the final roster reduction on Aug. 26, when the active-roster limit becomes 53 players.

When do teams need to designate reserve/PUP players? -- On Aug. 26, NFL teams are required to either place these players on reserve/PUP, remove the player from the active roster via release, waivers or trade, or count the player on the active roster. Once players land on reserve/PUP, they aren’t eligible to return to practice until following the team’s fourth game (for Kansas City, that day is Monday, Sept. 29).

How long does a team have to activate a reserve/PUP player? -- Once a reserve/PUP player returns to regular-season practice, he has 21 days to return to the active roster. He must be activated at some point during that window, so athletic trainers and team doctors play an important role in projecting his ability to return and the timing of that transaction.

Do teams still pay PUP players? -- While on PUP, players don’t surrender their base salaries. Players like Fulton, Taylor and Watson are still paid per terms of their contracts.

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