NFL teams still have a 53-man roster. It is not a de facto 55-man roster despite the new rule that gives teams the ability to promote up to two players from the practice squad for each game. Since the rule is new, it remains to be seen how it will be used and how well each team utilizes the rule. I do not expect teams to routinely promote two practice squad players for every game. There probably will not be any "super practice player(s)" on any NFL team.
The game-day active player list has been increased from 46 to 47 players. If a team lists as active eight players whose primary position are tackle, guard, or center, the limit is further increased to 48 active players on game days. None of the eight offensive linemen have to be practice squad players who were promoted to Active/Inactive List for any particular game. Teams must list at least 44 players as active for each game.
Teams may promote zero, one, or two practice squad players for each game whether it has seven or eight (or more) offensive linemen listed as active for the game in question. Having eight offensive linemen only affects how many players can be listed as game-day active and has no effect on promoting players from the practice squad to the Active/Inactive list. That means the Active/Inactive list could total 53, 54 or 55 players.
A team has to send the paperwork regarding promotions to the NFL no earlier in the week than the last day the NFL office is open to process the paperwork prior to the game. For Thursday Night games, that sounds like on Thursday by 4:00 PM EST. For a Sunday game, it sounds like on Saturday, no late than 4:00 PM (EST). Note that promotions will happen before teams are required to submit their active roster list. Such players automatically revert to the practice squad on the next business day after the game at 4:00 PM (EST).
Teams can have up to twelve practice squad players and that number increases to fourteen in 2022. The minimum weekly practice squad salary is $8,400 for most players, and $1,200 for the up to two players who are allowed to have an unlimited number of accrued seasons (but more than two accrued seasons).
Players who are promoted earn 1/17th of their respective minimum NFL salary. That dollar amount will vary depending on whether the player has zero, one, two or 10 credited seasons. For 2020, two practice squad players may have an unlimited number of accrued seasons. For a player eligible for the NFL minimum of $610,000 on an annual basis, that translates to $35,882 for that specific game instead of $8,400. It translates to $61,765 for a player who has hung around for a long time (7 or more credited seasons) instead of $12,000 for that veteran player.
Given that disparity in pay, it seems unlikely that a team would promote a practice squad player unless it intended (or had reason to think it might have) to make him active for that game. It hardly matters whether a team has five inactive players or seven. If the Packers elected to promote two players for each regular season game, it would cost an extra $880,000 against the cap at a minimum: it could be moderately more if the PS players selected had multiple credited seasons.
Players who are injured in practice (if they have already been promoted) or are injured during the game itself continue to earn their NFL minimum salary as provided for in their contract while on IR. Most of these players will have split contracts which have minimum salaries based on credited seasons. For 2020, the minimum is $400,000. If a practice squad player gets injured during practice but before he has been promoted, the player is eligible for the practice squad injured reserve and continues to be paid his $8,400 (adjusted for credited seasons) per week salary until he can pass a physical.
No practice squad player may be promoted more than twice over the course of the regular season plus any playoff games. That means if the Packers promoted OT Nijman for game one and two, while he could return to the practice squad, he could not be promoted again from the practice squad for games 3 through 16 or for any playoff games. If the Packers wanted Nijman to play in a 3rd game in that league year, the team would have to sign him to the 53-man roster and cut or trade a player to make room for him.
So, there will not be any super PS player who gets promoted for 16 games (or 19 in the best scenario) because it is against the rules. In practice, if a practice squad player were to be promoted and played well in a couple of regular season games, when he automatically reverts to the practice squad, he is free to sign a contract for the 53-man roster with any team.
Given the above, I do not expect teams to promote practice squad players unless they have a specific reason to do so. For example, if Kevin King looks like he is going to be a game-time decision for game 2, the team might promote Kabion Ento on Saturday to the Active/Inactive list. If King cannot go, the Packers then might list Ento on the game active list. Maybe he even plays some defensive snaps.
What if Ento plays very well against a quality NFL quarterback and some good receivers? That is a good problem to have, of course, but it might force the Packers to make a decision on Ento (and by extension, on another player already on the 53-man roster) right away. One can be sure that the directors of pro personnel around the league are going to look closely at such film, and Ento is free to sign with any club when he automatically reverts to the practice squad. There is no right of first refusal.
What if Ento is promoted for a second time, say for game 3 and again plays well? First, he cannot be promoted again for the rest of the regular season or for any playoff games. If the team wants to have him available to play in another game, it would have to sign him to the 53 and fend off any other interested teams. Things get murkier if Ento's play is less than average, but good enough to possibly attract the attention of other teams.
The Head Coach/General Manager that promotes a practice squad player who comes in and plays well is going to look like a genius. However, I expect teams to often forego promoting any practice squad players. The team might even want to save at least one promotion of a particular player for the playoffs. How often a team promotes practice squad players might turn out to be a function of the team's overall health.
This season should be interesting. It will be interesting to see how teams weigh the benefits of promoting players. How would you like to be the player on the regular 53-man roster who ends up being a healthy scratch (placed on the game-day inactive list) in favor of a practice squad member?
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