Report: Looser IR rules to return for 2021
Keeping a rule change first installed during the pandemic-ravaged 2020 season, NFL teams will be allowed to place an unlimited number of players on injured reserve during 2021 and those players will be eligible to return after a minimum of three games rather than eight.
NFL Network reported the update Tuesday, citing a league memo sent to the 32 clubs.
It is not clear if the NFL intends to keep the change long-term, but with the pandemic still active around the U.S., it chose to allow teams to have that flexibility for at least another season.
Normally, players placed on injured reserve cannot return from IR until they've missed at least six weeks' worth of practice and eight weeks' worth of games. Further, teams are usually allowed to activate only two players from IR during the course of a season, while any others must remain on IR for the rest of the season.
The league's reserve/COVID-19 list remains separate from the standard injured reserve.
--Field Level Media
