Injured Reserve Return Tracker

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 after Week 5 also appear on this list.

Here is how teams’ activation puzzles look going into Week 14:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Atlanta Falcons

Designated for return from IR (August 27): 

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Baltimore Ravens

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Buffalo Bills

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return: 

Activated

Activations remaining: 5

Carolina Panthers

Designated for return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 1

Chicago Bears

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Cincinnati Bengals

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Cleveland Browns

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Designated for return: 

  • CB Myles Harden (Nov. 27)

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 2

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return: 

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Denver Broncos

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Detroit Lions

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Green Bay Packers

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 6

Houston Texans

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Indianapolis Colts

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Jacksonville Jaguars

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Kansas City Chiefs

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Las Vegas Raiders

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Los Angeles Chargers

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Los Angeles Rams

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

  • OL K.T. Leveston (practice window opened Nov. 20)

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 1

Miami Dolphins

Designated for return from reserve/NFI list:

Eligible for activation from IR:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Minnesota Vikings

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

New England Patriots

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New Orleans Saints

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

New York Giants

Designated for return:

  • LB Dyontae Johnson (Dec. 4)

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New York Jets

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Philadelphia Eagles

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

  • OL Dylan Cook (released Oct. 31)

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

San Francisco 49ers

Reverted to season-ending IR: 

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Seattle Seahawks

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Designated for return: 

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 4

Tennessee Titans

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 6

Washington Commanders

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

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