A report late last month indicated the NFL was considering increasing practice squad sizes from 12 to 16 players. Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy confirmed these discussions are ongoing.
During a Q&A column on the team’s website, Murphy said talks regarding P-squad expansion are absolutely taking place with the NFLPA. Murphy expects practice squads to be expanded for this season, as the NFL attempts to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murphy also confirmed the NFL-NFLPA talks have included changing the eligibility requirements for the practice squad. The new CBA not only expanded P-squads from 10 to 12 players, but it opened the door for more experienced players to stay on those squads. After the new CBA’s ratification, two players on teams’ 12-man practice squads can be veterans with any number of accrued seasons. That marked a change from the 2011 CBA. Murphy indicated discussions have taken place regarding making more veterans eligible for P-squads.
This would make sense for 2020, with rookies facing uphill battles due to the virtual offseason and the two-game (maximum) preseason slate. Enabling more vets to stay on taxi squads would stand to help teams as they navigate the coronavirus. Nothing official has emerged on a possible COVID-19 injured list, but with expanded practice squads in play, it seems like that such a roster designation would be on the table.
Add a couple more practice squad spots and have the teams scrimmage against each other thru out the year with shorter and less games
I’m glad practice squads are expanding, but the reduction in rosters and increased experience cap just makes me think these additions will just be used by teams as an excuse to stash away lower end players at cheaper rates.