After two years of giving teams free rein on injured reserve transactions, the NFL reinstated limitations this offseason. Teams can now activate up to eight players from their IR, PUP and NFI lists combined. That will reintroduce some strategy into how franchises proceed with their activations over the next few months.
Players who were carried over to 53-man rosters after cutdown day must reside on their respective injured list for at least four weeks. Once a team designates a player for return, meaning the player returns to practice, the activation clock starts. Teams have 21 days from those return-to-practice points to activate that player. If no activation commences in that window, the player reverts to season-ending IR.
Here is how teams’ IR, PUP and NFI situations stack up for Week 8 so far:
Arizona Cardinals
Eligible for activation: none
Activations remaining: 5
Atlanta Falcons
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 7
Baltimore Ravens
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 7
Buffalo Bills
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 8
Carolina Panthers
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 8
Chicago Bears
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Cincinnati Bengals
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 5
Cleveland Browns
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Dallas Cowboys
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Denver Broncos
Designated for return:
Activations remaining: 5
Detroit Lions
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Green Bay Packers
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 7
Houston Texans
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Indianapolis Colts
Designated for return:
Activations remaining: 8
Jacksonville Jaguars
Eligible for activation: none
Activations remaining: 8
Kansas City Chiefs
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 8
Las Vegas Raiders
Eligible for activation: none
Activations remaining: 6
Los Angeles Chargers
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 8
Los Angeles Rams
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 8
Miami Dolphins
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 7
Minnesota Vikings
Eligible for activation: none
Activations remaining:…