The NFL and NFL Players Association recently agreed upon new rules for the 2022 season, notably pertaining to injured reserve and players having to miss a minimum of four games before they can return, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday evening.
Players designated for return from the reserve/injured or reserve/non-football injury/illness list are eligible to come back after "four games have elapsed since the date he was placed on the applicable reserve list," per the memo obtained by Garafolo. Previously, players were eligible to return after three games missed.
In addition to changes to injured reserve rules, the NFL and NFLPA recently agreed to changes for the ramp-up period for training camp and changes to practice squads, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
In another alteration to injured reserve protocol, teams will now have eight players permitted to return from IR and/or the reserve/non-football injury/illness list to the 53-man active roster or the practice squad, per season. An individual player can return from IR a maximum of twice per season, but each time counts against the team's allotted eight designations.
Among the changes for practice squads are that they are now permitted to have 16 players, which is up from the previous 14-player squad size. Teams can now elevate individual players from the practice squad to the game-day roster a maximum of three times per season, rather than two, which was the previous max.
The NFL and NFLPA also amended details for ramp-up periods during preseason training camps. On-field sessions that were not allowed to be longer than two hours have now been limited to 90 minutes on Day 2, 105 minutes on Day 3 and remained at two hours on the final two days.
