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 in Week 7:
Arizona Cardinals
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OL Christian Jones (practice window opened Oct. 2)
- DL Darius Robinson (practice window opened Oct. 7)
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Atlanta Falcons
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
- C Drew Dalman (story)
Activated:
- LB Nathan Landman (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 6
Baltimore Ravens
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
- CB Arthur Maulet (Week 8)
- RB Rasheen Ali
Activations remaining: 6
Buffalo Bills
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- RB Darrynton Evans (practice window opened Oct. 9)
- LB Matt Milano (story)
Eligible for activation:
- OL Tylan Grable
Activations remaining: 6
Carolina Panthers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- S Sam Franklin (practice window opened Oct. 16)
Designated for return from reserve/non-football injury list:
- RB Jonathon Brooks (Oct. 16)
Designated for return from IR:
- DT Jaden Crumedy (Oct. 16)
Eligible for activation:
- S Jordan Fuller (story)
- WR Adam Thielen (story)
Activated:
- CB Dane Jackson (Week 7)
- TE Ian Thomas (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 5
Chicago Bears
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OL Larry Borom
- DE Jacob Martin (practice window opened Oct. 9)
Eligible for activation:
- OL Ryan Bates (story)
- RB Travis Homer
- LS Patrick Scales (story)
Activations remaining: 6
Cincinnati Bengals
Activated:
- DT McKinnley Jackson (Week 5)
- DE Myles Murphy (Week 5)
- P Brad Robbins (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 5
Cleveland Browns
Designated for return from reserve/non-football injury list (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
- WR David Bell
- LB Tony Fields
- CB Myles Harden
- G Wyatt Teller (story)
Activated:
- LB Mohamoud Diabate (Week 6)
- G Michael Dunn (Week 6)
- DT Maurice Hurst (Week 6)
- S Juan Thornhill (Week 7)
Activations remaining: 3
Dallas Cowboys
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
- OL Chuma Edoga (story)
- DT Jordan Phillips (story)
Activations remaining: 7
Denver Broncos
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Activated:
- OLB Baron Browning (Week 7)
- RB Audric Estime (Week 6)
- CB Damarri Mathis (Week 7)
- T Mike McGlinchey (Week 7)
Activations remaining: 4
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):
Eligible for activation:
- CB Jeff Okudah (story)
Activated:
- DT Kurt Hinish (Week 7)
- DE Dylan Horton (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 5
Indianapolis Colts
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- DE Samson Ebukam (story)
- LB Cameron McGrone
Eligible for activation:
- DT DeForest Buckner (story)
Activations remaining: 6
Jacksonville Jaguars
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Designated for return:
- LB Foyesade Oluokun (Oct. 22)
Activated:
- CB Tyson Campbell (Week 7)
Activations remaining: 5
Kansas City Chiefs
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Las Vegas Raiders
Activated:
- S Trey Taylor (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 7
Los Angeles Chargers
Designated for return:
Activated:
- LB Nick Niemann (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 7
Los Angeles Rams
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OL K.T. Leveston
Designated for return:
- OL Joseph Noteboom (Oct. 16)
- WR Puka Nacua (Oct. 22)
Eligible for activation:
- OL Steve Avila (story)
- OL Jonah Jackson (story)
- S John Johnson (story)
- OL Conor McDermott
Activated:
- DL Larrell Murchison (Week 5)
- CB Darious Williams (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 5
Miami Dolphins
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
- WR Grant Dubose
- S Patrick McMorris
- QB Tua Tagovailoa (story)
Activated:
- CB Cam Smith (Week 7)
Activations remaining: 6
Minnesota Vikings
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Eligible for activation:
- TE Nick Muse
Activations remaining: 6
New England Patriots
Designated for return from reserve/non-football illness list (August 27):
- DL Christian Barmore (story)
Eligible for activation:
- CB Alex Austin
- OLB Oshane Ximines
Activated:
- S Marte Mapu (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 6
New Orleans Saints
Eligible for activation:
- C Erik McCoy (story)
Activated:
- RB Kendre Miller (Week 6)
Activations remaining: 7
New York Giants
Eligible for activation:
- K Graham Gano (story)
- LB Dyontae Johnson
- WR Gunner Olszewski
- OL Austin Schlottmann
Activated:
- LB Matthew Adams (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 7
New York Jets
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- TE Kenny Yeboah
Eligible for activation:
- LB Zaire Barnes
- G Wes Schweitzer (story)
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Philadelphia Eagles
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam (practice window opened Oct. 16)
- WR Ainias Smith (practice window opened Oct. 7)
Activations remaining: 6
Pittsburgh Steelers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- OL Dylan Cook
Eligible for activation:
- T Troy Fautanu (regular-season return not expected)
- DL Logan Lee
- LB Tyler Matakevich
- WR Ben Skowronek
- DB Cory Trice
Activated:
- OLB Jeremiah Moon (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 6
San Francisco 49ers
Eligible for activation:
- OL Jon Feliciano (story)
- RB Christian McCaffrey (story)
- CB Ambry Thomas
Activated:
- DL Kalia Davis (Week 5)
- WR Ricky Pearsall (Week 7)
Activations remaining: 6
Seattle Seahawks
Designated for return:
- S Jerrick Reed II (Oct. 14)
Eligible for activation:
- T George Fant (story)
Activations remaining: 8
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
- WR Rakim Jarrett (practice window opened Oct. 17)
Eligible for activation:
- LS Evan Deckers
- CB Bryce Hall (story)
Activated:
- DE Earnest Brown IV (Week 7)
Activations remaining: 6
Tennessee Titans
Designated for return from IR:
- LB Cedric Gray (Oct. 7)
Activations remaining: 8
Washington Commanders
Designated for return from IR (August 27):
Activated:
- QB Marcus Mariota (Week 5)
Activations remaining: 6