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 are 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 beginning in Week 5 will be added to this list.
Here is how teams’ activation puzzles look going into Week 10:
Arizona Cardinals
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Atlanta Falcons
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Baltimore Ravens
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Buffalo Bills
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Carolina Panthers
Designated for return from IR:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Chicago Bears
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Cincinnati Bengals
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Cleveland Browns
Reverted to season-ending IR:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 2
Dallas Cowboys
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Denver Broncos
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Detroit Lions
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 7
Green Bay Packers
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
- DL Jonathan Ford (Week 8)
Activations remaining: 7
Houston Texans
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Indianapolis Colts
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Jacksonville Jaguars
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Kansas City Chiefs
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Las Vegas Raiders
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Los Angeles Chargers
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Los Angeles Rams
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 1
Miami Dolphins
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Minnesota Vikings
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
New England Patriots
Designated for return from reserve/non-football illness list (August 27):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
New Orleans Saints
Designated for return:
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
New York Giants
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
New York Jets
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Philadelphia Eagles
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Pittsburgh Steelers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
San Francisco 49ers
Eligible for activation:
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Seattle Seahawks
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Tennessee Titans
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Washington Commanders
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
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