NFL roster cuts rules: How IR-to-return, NFI, PUP lists work

One of the more complicated processes when it comes to NFL roster cuts is the maneuvering of injured players. There is a litany of rules and regulations, and they seem to change every single year. And with the 2025 Detroit Lions entering the final day of roster cuts with a total of 11 players on an injury list (and a couple more dealing with injuries without designation), it’s important to understand what each list means, each player’s eligibility to return, and what it means for finalizing a 53-man roster.

So here’s what it means to be on injured reserve (IR), physically unable to perform (PUP), or the non-football injury (NFI) list.

What does injured reserve mean?

A player who is placed on injured reserve before roster cutdowns is out for the season. They are not eligible to return to play this season. Players currently on injured reserve include OT Justin Herron, OL Colby Sorsdal, TE Kenny Yeboah, CB Ennis Rakestraw, S Dan Jackson, and RB Kye Robichaux.

These players did not count against the Lions’ 90-man roster in training camp, and they will not count against their 53-man roster after cutdowns. However, they will count against the 90-man roster limit during the regular season, which includes the 53-man roster, the 16-man practice squad, and everyone on IR. Teams don’t typically get anywhere near that 90-man limit during a season, but the Lions came close last year, leading them to propose a rule that ultimately did not get adopted.

There is one way a player already placed on IR could return to play later this year. That’s if the team ultimately cuts them with an injury settlement. We’ve already seen the Lions do that with players like OL Keaton Sutherland and CB Dicaprio Bootle. Once those players’ injury settlements end, they are eligible to sign with any team. They can sign with their original team after the length of the injury settlement, plus an additional three weeks.

During a season, teams are allowed to return a total of eight players who are placed on IR. But here’s the fine print: those players have to be placed on IR after a team has already cut down the roster to 53 players. A player on IR-to-return must sit out a minimum of four games and cannot practice during that time. While on IR-to-return, players do not count against the 53-man roster.

After at least four games, teams can start a 21-day evaluation window, in which the player can return to practice without counting against the roster. Once that player is ready to play, they must be activated to the 53-man roster. If a team decides at the end of the 21-day evaluation period that the player cannot return, they must revert to season-ending IR.

What about that new rule regarding two IR-to-returns?

Yes, there is a somewhat new rule that on cutdown day, teams can place two players on IR-to-return without them making the initial 53-man roster. Those individuals still count toward the team’s maximum of eight IR-to-return players during the season, but it allows them to make a couple of extra “cuts” to get down to 53 players.

The 2025 Lions have a few currently-injured players who could qualify for this designation. Ahmed Hassanein’s pectoral injury may not be season-ending, so if the Lions want him to return this year, placing him on IR-to-return makes sense. The same could be said for center Trystan Colon (elbow) and safety Morice Norris (concussion). Although, it’s worth noting Norris looked pretty close to returning from his injury during the team’s final training camp practice.

If the Lions have three players they want to put on IR-to-return at cutdowns, one will have to make the initial 53-man roster and be placed on IR-to-return after one day. The other two can use this new cutdown-day rule.

How is this different from NFI/PUP?

Players on NFI or PUP must be placed on that injury list at the start of training camp. No player injured during training camp is eligible to join the NFI/PUP list.

If a player is still on NFI/PUP at the end of training camp, they are eligible to be moved to the reserve/NFI or reserve/PUP list. Those lists operate the exact same as IR-to-return (ie: they must sit a minimum of four games and can start at 21-day evaluation period after). However, these players do not count against the team’s limit of eight IR-to-return designations. Teams could theoretically have as many NFI/PUP players as they want at the start of training camp.

The Lions finished camp with four players on this list: Josh Paschal (NFI), Miles Frazier (PUP), Alim McNeill (PUP), and Malcolm Rodriguez (PUP). All four of these players are expected to move to the NFI/reserve or PUP/reserve list and miss a minimum of four games. These players will not count against the 53-man roster, and the moves can be made on roster cutdown day.

What’s the difference between PUP and NFI?

It’s simply where the injury happened. If the injury happened at the team’s facility or during an NFL game, the player qualifies for the PUP list. If the injury happened in college or any place away from the team facility, the player can go on the NFI list. For roster maneuvering purposes, both lists operate identically.

So what does this mean for the 2025 Lions?

Expect at least five roster moves that will involve these lists and help the Lions get down to 53 players on Tuesday.

Given that Dan Campbell also noted that linebacker Ezekiel Turner suffered a serious injury in the preseason finale, it’s also very possible that Turner goes to season-ending IR as part of Detroit’s final cuts.