NFL, NFLPA Agree On Big Roster Changes
The NFL and NFLPA announced some big roster changes on Wednesday that will affect the 2022 season. The Saints were among several teams that had to deal with some major roster shuffling due to COVID-19 and injuries last year, leading them to have nearly 60 different starters throughout their 17-game season. Some of these won't come as a shock, but are notable changes as we move forward.
Rule Change Highlights
- Teams are allowed to have up to eight players that can be designated to return from injured reserve. This includes the Reserve/Injured (IR) and Reserve/Non-Football Injury/Illness lists (NFI).
- Players can return from IR twice in one season, but each designation counts against the limit of eight players.
- Any player placed on IR or the NFI can return after four games. The rule was previously for three games.
- Teams can once again have up to 16 players on their practice squad, with six of the spots being eligible for veterans.
- Practice squad players can be elevated to the active gameday roster three times now.
The demands of a longer season will certainly take its toll on teams, and it's important to point out that New Orleans has a later bye week (Week 14). The Saints could have had an automatic bye following their London game in Week 4, but chose to decline it. As always, it'll be interesting to see how these new rules play out. Perhaps soon they'll figure out how to increase active gameday rosters.
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