This offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.
In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 27 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. This will introduce more strategy for teams, who will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.
All players designated for return on August 27 are eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5. The same holds true for players moved to IR before Week 1, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Players who receive return designations beginning in Week 5 will be added to this list.
Here is how teams’ activation puzzles look in Week 6:
Arizona Cardinals
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OL Christian Jones (practice window opened Oct. 2)
- DL Darius Robinson (practice window opened Oct. 7)
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Atlanta Falcons
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Activated:
- LB Nathan Landman (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 6
Baltimore Ravens
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Activated:
- RB Rasheen Ali
Activations remaining: 6
Buffalo Bills
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- RB Darrynton Evans (practice window opened Oct. 9)
- LB Matt Milano (story)
Activations remaining: 6
Carolina Panthers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
- TE Ian Thomas (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 5
Chicago Bears
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OL Larry Borom
- DE Jacob Martin (practice window opened Oct. 9)
Eligible for activation:
- OL Ryan Bates (story)
- LS Patrick Scales (st0ry)
Activations remaining: 6
Cincinnati Bengals
Activated:
- P Brad Robbins (Week 5)
- DE Myles Murphy (Week 5)
- DT McKinnley Jackson (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 5
Cleveland Browns
Designated for return from reserve/non-football injury list (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
- LB Tony Fields
- CB Myles Harden
- S Juan Thornhill
Activated:
- LB Mohamoud Diabate (Week 6)
- G Michael Dunn (Week 6)
- DT Maurice Hurst (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 4
Dallas Cowboys
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
- OL Chuma Edoga (story)
Activations remaining: 7
Denver Broncos
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Activated:
- RB Audric Estime (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 6
Detroit Lions
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 7
Green Bay Packers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- DL Jonathan Ford (practice window opened Oct. 2)
Activations remaining: 7
Houston Texans
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- LB Christian Harris
- DT Kurt Hinish (practice window opened Oct. 2)
Eligible for activation:
- CB Jeff Okudah (story)
Activated:
- DE Dylan Horton (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 5
Indianapolis Colts
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- DE Samson Ebukam (story)
- LB Cameron McGrone
Activations remaining: 6
Jacksonville Jaguars
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Designated for return:
- CB Tyson Campbell (Oct. 9)
Activations remaining: 6
Kansas City Chiefs
Designated for return from reserve/non-football illness list:
Activations remaining: 8
Las Vegas Raiders
Activated:
- S Trey Taylor (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 7
Los Angeles Chargers
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
- LB Nick Niemann (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 7
Los Angeles Rams
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OL K.T. Leveston
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
- DL Larrell Murchison (Week 5)
- CB Darious Williams (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 5
Miami Dolphins
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- WR River Cracraft
- CB Cam Smith (practice window opened Oct. 2)
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Minnesota Vikings
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OLB Gabriel Murphy
- G Dalton Risner (story)
Activations remaining: 6
New England Patriots
Designated for return from reserve/non-football illness list (August 27):
- DL Christian Barmore (story)
Activated:
- S Marte Mapu (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 6
New Orleans Saints
Activated:
- RB Kendre Miller (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 7
New York Giants
Eligible for activation:
- LB Dyontae Johnson
- WR Gunner Olszewski
- OL Austin Schlottmann
Activated:
- LB Matthew Adams (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 7
New York Jets
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- DT Leki Fotu (practice window opened Oct. 2)
- TE Kenny Yeboah
Eligible for activation:
- LB Zaire Barnes
- G Wes Schweitzer (story)
Activations remaining: 6
Philadelphia Eagles
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam (story)
- WR Ainias Smith (practice window opened Oct. 7)
Activations remaining: 6
Pittsburgh Steelers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OL Dylan Cook
Eligible for activation:
- DL Logan Lee
Activated:
- OLB Jeremiah Moon (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 6
San Francisco 49ers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- DL Kalia Davis (practice window opened Oct. 2)
Eligible for activation:
- OL Jon Feliciano (story)
- RB Christian McCaffrey (story)
- CB Ambry Thomas
Eligible for activation from reserve/non-football injury list:
- WR Ricky Pearsall (story)
Activations remaining: 7
Seattle Seahawks
Activations remaining: 8
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Designated for return:
- DE Earnest Brown IV (Oct. 9)
Eligible for activation:
- CB Bryce Hall (story)
Activations remaining: 7
Tennessee Titans
Eligible for activation (August 27):
- LB Cedric Gray
Activations remaining: 8
Washington Commanders
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Activated:
- QB Marcus Mariota (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 6
Im still not understanding Daryton Evans on IR.
This was at best a practice squad RB, we already have 3 rbs, PLUS a fullback on the roster.
Ive heard speculation he could be a returner. That makes less sense when you consider how thin WR is.
But then why the trade for Codrington?
Idk. Im just a dumb old guy.
Unless you’re a fugitive from the law, you can never have too many trackers 🙂