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 introduces 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 were eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, 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 after Week 5 also appear on this list.
This offseason also brought a second adjustment, with teams who qualify for the playoffs set to have two additional activations at their disposals. With the playoffs upon us, the two additional activations have been added to each team’s ledger. Here is how the Chiefs and Eagles’ activation puzzles look going into Super Bowl LIX:
Kansas City Chiefs
Designated for return:
- WR Skyy Moore (Jan. 30)
Reverted to season-ending IR
- WR Mecole Hardman (Jan. 22)
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
- WR Marquise Brown (Week 16)
- K Harrison Butker (Week 15)
- RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Week 7)
- TE Peyton Hendershot (Week 17)
- RB Isiah Pacheco (Week 13)
- CB Jaylen Watson (divisional round)
Activations remaining: 4
Philadelphia Eagles
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam (released Nov. 5)
Designated for return:
- WR Britain Covey (Jan. 22)
- TE C.J. Uzomah (Jan. 30)
Reverted to season-ending IR:
- DT Byron Young
Activated:
- WR Britain Covey (Week 12; later placed on IR a second time)
- TE Dallas Goedert (Week 18)
- DE Brandon Graham (Super Bowl)
- DE Bryce Huff (Week 17)
- LT Jordan Mailata (Week 11)
- WR Ainias Smith (Week 8)
Activations remaining: 3
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 🙂
I hate to complain about the trackers that are provided by the staff but the formatting is not good. Eligibles could be in one column, activateds in another. Perhaps that won’t work for the app users but this is an unnecessarily long scroll for those using laptops.
steelers looking good, 2-0 to start their rough schedule ahead