IR Update Proposal

[Jacksonville Jaguars (Jordan)]

I would like to propose an update to our Injured Reserve (IR) rules. Currently, we can place a player on IR, once their NFL team does. This takes the player from our 25-man active roster, and places him into one of two IR spots, opening up a spot on the active roster. In the NFL, teams have a choice to reactivate up to 2 players from IR after 8 weeks, if they determine that a player is healthy enough to return. They, of course, must make room on their 53-man active roster in order to do so.

In the CDFL, however, we do not have the option to bring players back from IR. If we place a player on IR, that player is stuck there for the duration of the season, whether his NFL team reactivates him or not. I believe that this needs to change. Imagine Luke Keuchly goes down in Week 1, and the Panthers place him on IR. Trey needs a roster spot to sign another LB (or any player for that matter), so he places Kuechly on IR. Fast forward to Week 9 and the Panthers determine Kuechly is healthy, and they want to bring him back. He is simply moved back to their 53-man roster, but for Trey, he cannot play Kuechly at all. He must sit back and watch, as Kuechly racks up tackle after tackle, throughout all of Trey’s division games and on into the playoffs.

I know that this has affected my team as well as many other teams in years past, as reports come out that “so and so is someone they’d like to bring back later in the season,” so as CDFL owners, we are held hostage, and have to make the decision whether to keep the player on our active roster in the hopes he will get to come back, or put him on IR and lose him for the season regardless.

My proposal is simple: like the NFL, allow us to reactivate up to 2 players from IR, if their NFL reactivates them.

Let me know your thoughts in the poll.

[Cincinnati Bengals (Chris)]

I think Jordan's example is the extreme to prove a point, but it's certainly plausible. If it’s not clear if he’ll be back, in such a scenario, Trey might consider, as a potential playoff team, IRing him to clear room and go out to acquire another guy, or trading him even. In my opinion, we don’t want the uncertainty of an injury to ruin an entire season for a contender, especially if it’s easily within our control by just doing something like this. As we constantly talk about the ways we can make this league more closely mirror the NFL, I've always been on record as being in favor of finding a way to do IR returns if we could find a way to do/track them. I think it would bring another level of realism to the league, and to bring more fun and strategy into this, which I think is what we're here for.

Furthermore, NFL teams can be incredibly wishy washy (Understatement of the year there) about their players' injuries and their timeline for return, and sometimes it’s almost impossible to parse through where they are in their recoveries, and what the team intends to do. I once had to cut a player whom I wanted to keep and re-sign the following year because a team delayed an open and shut IR decision past the point I could continue to roster him as a 0, for as far as I can tell, no real reason. While that wouldn't come directly into play here, it's clear that the way teams handle their injury/IR decisions can disrupt a team's (In this league) plans, and roster spots/decisions, like Matt (MIN) had to do a year ago in case Hunter Henry returned in time to make an impact for him, since he was never put on season-ending IR officially. It just goes to prove, you could wait all year to IR a guy and then it never comes, and you could’ve used that spot, or if you are able to IR him, and he returns, as Jordan spelled out, you'd be missing out on all his production after he returned. I don't think it was ever the intention of the league to put that burden on an owner just because he or she isn't clairvoyant. As a league, we need to be able to evolve with the times, and this is an instance where I think we need to catch up to the NFL and mirror their policy on IR/IR designated to return. That's why I think this proposal is a good idea.

[Philadelphia Eagles (Andrew)]

I support the change.

My only question is do we get that IR spot back when we reactivate our player? Or is it just that you can IR 2 players for the year and when those two have been used up you’re done using the IR (whether you reactivate guys or not)?

[Jacksonville Jaguars (Jordan)]

Jul 27, 2019 17:49:49 GMT -5 Philadelphia Eagles (Andrew) said:

I support the change.

My only question is do we get that IR spot back when we reactivate our player? Or is it just that you can IR 2 players for the year and when those two have been used up you’re done using the IR (whether you reactivate guys or not)?

That is a good question, and something I’ve thought about. Didn’t want to get too bogged down in those specifics for the purpose of the poll.

But my suggestion would be that if you have an IR spot open, then you can use it, even if you have activated a player from that spot previously. You have the 2 IR spots at the end of the roster, so I don’t see a reason that you shouldn’t be able to use them, if you’re unfortunate enough to have that situation occur.

[Buffalo Bills (Salvatore)]

I'd be ok with allowing teams to bring one player back.

[Detroit Lions (Christian)]

Based on the votes, I’d say this is a pretty popular idea

[Jacksonville Jaguars (Jordan)]

Thanks for taking the time to vote guys!



Except for the “no” vote. You’re dead to me.

[Minnesota Vikings (Matt)]

With overwhelming support on votes and I believe keeping up with the NFL rules we will allow any player that is activated off IR to be activated in our league as well. The team must have the roster space to activate a player. As long as there is an IR spot available the team can place another player on IR. A player cannot be cut, trades or removed from IR unless the player is activated by the NFL team.

If there any any questions on this rules please post and we can clarify for the whole league.

[Seattle Seahawks (Cecil)]

Are we going to limit it to 2 IR spots. Seems like if a team is snakebitten enough to need more than 2 spots they should be allowed to put whatever they need on IR. They are getting shafted if they need the roster spot to get active players. Two spots seems very arbitrary to begin with.

[Minnesota Vikings (Matt)]

This year we will stick with 2 spots. This can be discussed and talked through to implement next season if this is approved.