Per the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, NFL teams in 2020 also will be able to expand their rosters to 55 players (48 active) on game day by temporarily promoting players from their practice squads.
The NFL agreed to expand practice squad rosters from 12 to 16 in 2020 to account for the possibility of positive COVID-19 tests throughout the season keeping players off the field.
- Roster cuts deadline: Saturday, Sept. 5
- Deadline time: 4 p.m. ET
NFL practice squad rules
The CBA that the NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed upon in the spring increased the size of practice squad rosters from 10 players to 12 players for 2020. (It will increase again to 14 in 2022). That was before the COVID-19 outbreak reached the United States and started impacting sports operations.
Because positive coronavirus test results among NFL players are all but inevitable, it's reasonable to anticipate more players missing games than usual in 2020. So the league agreed to expand practice squad rosters to 16 players, including six veterans (unlimited number of accrued seasons) rather than two.
Below are the players who are eligible to be added to practice squad rosters:
- Players who do not have an accrued season of NFL experience (rookies)
- Players who were on the active list for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s)
- Up to four players per team who have earned no more than two accrued seasons (no game limitations)
- Up to two (six in 2020) players per team with no limitations as to their number of earned accrued seasons
