The past four years have brought major changes for the NFL’s injured reserve system. On a day that will bring more memorable changes to how the NFL operates, another adjustment is coming on this front as well.
The league adopted a Lions proposal that will allow teams unlimited IR-return moves once the playoffs begin. Teams are permitted eight IR-return designations each season, but rather than that count covering the regular season and playoffs, clubs will have more flexibility regarding how many players they can activate from IR in 2024.
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Although the 2010s brought increased flexibility here, the decade still ended with teams significantly limited regarding who they could bring off IR during a season. Going into the ’10s, an IR designation still meant the player was out for the season. By 2019, teams were up to three IR-return transactions in each season. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way the NFL operated in many ways, but while the reserve/COVID-19 list was scrapped after the 2021 season, the pandemic-era practice squad update remains. And the league’s injured reserve system offers a half-measure between the 2010s and the COVID-marred period.
From 2020-21, teams could designate an unlimited number of players to return from IR. The NFL introduced the eight-activation limit in 2022. That number still created some issues for a few teams. The 49ers and Rams were high on IR-return moves in 2022, with San Francisco leaving Jimmy Garoppolo on its active roster due to having used its eighth IR activation on Elijah Mitchell going into the playoffs. Last year, the Texans entered the playoffs without any IR activations remaining.
In 2024, teams will be set to have eight IR transactions at their disposal during the regular season and then no such limitations during the playoffs. The postseason flexibility would allow injury-plagued contending teams to designate more players for return during the stretch run without the fear of being left without any additional moves for the playoffs. As this change will potentially allow more starter-level players to return in-season, the Super Bowl LXIX change could be impacted to a degree by the Tuesday vote.