Latest / Unicorn Football Talk / NFL Practice Squads
Transcript
- Emily: Hey, we are back with another deep dive episode. Today's the Hillary show, isn't it? Hilary: I guess so. Hey Emily, how are you? Emily: I'm good. I'm excited to hear more from you specifically. And what deep dive topic did you pick for us today? Hilary: Okay, I picked Practice Squad. It's an important part of the team and it's something that we don't talk about that often. And I decided to dig into what the heck is it? What do they do? How does it all work? And I'm just looking forward to sharing that information with everybody. so to start off, I want to start with a little bit of history because I found a really fun story. The Practice squad started in 1946, courtesy of Paul Brown, the coach of the Cleveland Browns. And he had more good players than the roster limit allowed at that time. The roster limit was 33. So let that sink in for a minute. That's pretty small. And so what he did is he convinced the owner, Arthur McBride, to hire the extra guys. they had to get around the American Football Conference payroll. Rules and McBride hired all of those extra players, employees, let's call them, to work for his yellow cab taxi business. And they never worked as cab drivers, but they conveniently showed up every day at the practice field at the same time as a scheduled practice for the team. And they earned the nickname of the taxi squad, and that nickname stuck. back in Emily: I've never heard that term before actually. When you say it's stuck, do do people still use that term today Hilary: okay, it's stuck. I Emily: or? Hilary: you know, I don't know, but I think when you look at NFL history, there are a lot of references to it. And there's actually a super fun little ESPN clip where Peyton Manning does his best to describe the history of the taxi squad. So Anyway, it was really popular and it gave the Cleveland Browns a huge advantage over other teams. The idea of having a practice squad was copied quickly by other owners. It was a real advantage to have that extra group of employees to serve as the opponent during practice week. And although the teams did it, it wasn't officially recognized by the NFL until 1965. And at that time, the NFL roster limit was 40. So they allowed an unlimited reserve squad for a couple of years, but then slowly over the years that went by, they reduced it down to only seven. So you've got 40 plus seven. And then in 1974, they eliminated the practice squad again and just made the roster size 47. in 1993, the practice squad was brought back as part of the collective bargaining agreement with players, and the size was set at five for the practice squad. In two thousand four, they increased that to eight, two thousand fourteen, ten. And it was set to increase to twelve in twenty twenty, but then because of COVID, they raised the numbers to sixteen and that's where we're at today. But really the idea of a fairly decent sized practice squad as we know it now is pretty new. Let less than to Emily: Yeah, I did not realize there were sixteen players on the practice squad. That's a lot. Hilary: That is a lot So that's where we're at now. and actually you could have 17 if one of your players is from the International Pathways Program, which is an NFL program that allows international athletes a way to earn a roster spot and I'm sure it's also to increase international exposure. as a side note, there's 13 athletes participating this year. So not all clubs can have 17 on their practice squad. The the set number is 16. So how do we get there? Who can be on the practice squad? There's a lot of rules, but the general rule is that they have to have a certain number, 10, that are considered rookies or second-year players. And then they can have six veterans or players with an unlimited amount of experience in seasons. And the NFL defines a accrude season as a season where you have six or more games on the active roster. So the focus here is is that the balance of the practice squad is younger, less experienced guys. Does that make sense? Emily: So Second year players, do you mean their second year in the league or two years of accrued? Hilary: So it's two years of accrued league time. So if let's say you have a guy who's drafted, he's injured the whole first year, that doesn't even count as an accrued season for him. So in Emily: Got it. Hilary: essence, you've got an extra year. But again, going back to the basic premise is that it's intentionally meant to have the bulk of your practice squad be young players without a lot of experience. Emily: Do you know why Hilary: And Emily: that's that's such a focus? I'm just curious. Hilary: we're gonna talk salary later and maybe veterans don't wanna be stashed there. That that could be a a a give and take to that also. so do you know anything about the practice squad, like what they do, why each the team would even want one? Emily: I don't know a lot other than what you stated earlier, which is more people. means more people to practice with. Hilary: Right. So you've got your sixteen players on the practice squad. And as far as I can tell, there's absolutely no rules about what positions those players would be. So I guess you could have, you know, sixteen linemen on the practice squad if you wanted, or you could have, you know, eight eight offense and eight defense or however you wanted to divide that up. It is usually from what I read, a fairly diverse group of players because one of the functions for the practice squad is it's it's a backup. It's it's helping your roster both for development and also in case you've got injuries or need to rotate some positional players around on your roster. So what they do, everything a normal player would do. They're an integral part of the team. They attend Team meetings, they go to the positional meetings, they practice, they eat and train in the facilities, they do film work. They even travel with the team for road games. They can only suit up if they're activated for the game, but they're there on the sidelines. They're there in the stadium at home games. And I think their biggest value really is that during the week, They often simulate the offense or defense of the upcoming week's opponent. And that way the team starters get meaningful reps against the situations they're going to face on game day. sometimes, too, if they have somebody, a quarterback or another player on the practice squad will replicate the opposing teams, quarterback, maybe for his mobility, or maybe to showcase some types of. offensive schemes that that team runs that maybe our maybe our defense hasn't seen before. and it's a way, especially for the young players, for them to get some development in the help of, you know, making a team or making a roster in the future. And as I said before, they it also it's positional depth for the team that they're on, Emily: Yeah, I get I think it's always hard for teams to get down to the fifty-three and figure out who should be on the fifty-three man roster. So I guess it is a way to hold on to talent that you didn't really want to let go. But what's really confusing to me are all the rules related to when they can play, and be called up. And I assume you're gonna go into all of that. Hilary: I am gonna get there. And so let's start with how do we even get to a practice squad? Because starting with the league year in March and all the way through the summer, preseason, all of that, all of the teams are working on the roster limit of ninety. There's no designated practice squad. It's just a whole bunch of players in camp fighting for their positions and trying to, prove that they're worthy of making that fifty-three man roster. So roster cut deadline for 2026 is August 30th. And at that point, 6 p.m. Eastern time, all of the teams have to reduce their roster to 53 players on their active inactive list. there are some other ways to hold on to a few players through the injured reserve and other designations, but that's a topic for another day. So at 6 p.m. deadline, any players With less than four accrued seasons. So we're going back to did they play six games on an active roster the season before or not? if they don't have four years of accrued season, then they are released at that six PM deadline and put on waivers. So what that means is Any other team who's interested in those players, can they can submit a claim to inherit the contract of that wavered player? And again, most of these guys are gonna be rookies. A lot of them are gonna be on their rookie contracts or undrafted free agents or young guys, right? Because they don't have their four seasons. Emily: And if a team claims them on waivers, then the player will be signed to the fifty three man roster of that team, not the practice squad. Hilary: Correct. Sort of. Yes, at that time. And there it's not just a free for all. The way that the teams can submit their claims on the waivered players is very structured. There's a pecking order, if you will, and it is determined by the NFL team's prior season record. So the weakest or least successful teams pick first and they submit their claim. And maybe let's say a player has multiple claims that, you know, eight teams want this one wide receiver, right? The team that had the weakest schedule is awarded that waiver. And as you stated, if they pick someone up off of waivers, they do have to want that person bad enough that they're going to put them on their own 53 man roster. So that is younger players. And then if there's a veteran who is not going to make the 53 man roster, he's released, not waived. And he becomes a free agent right away and can sign with another team or a practice squad or whatever they want to do. There's no waiting or quote waiver period for that player. So that's the difference between veterans and non-veterans. So okay, you've got all these players who are released or waived, right? What happens next? Well Middle of the day of the next day on August 31st, 1 p.m. Eastern, the claiming period for players placed on waivers closes. And the results are distributed to the teams. And as soon as that happens, then they can start building their practice squad. So there's this kind of crazy 19-hour window where there's a ton of movement happening and you've got teams picking up. players off of waivers and then maybe releasing someone else because they have to make room for that person, right? So there's this kind of chaotic turn. But as soon as the window is over, that's when a player who's not picked up is said to have quote cleared waivers, just meaning that he made it through the window, no one claimed him, and they're now unrestricted free agents as well. So they can sign with any team and that includes the practice squad of the team that cut Emily: Yep. Got it. Yeah. Hilary: Got it? And that's yeah, and that's actually the most common path for a lot of young players as practice squad additions. A team waves them at the roster cut down, hopes that they're not picked up by anybody else. And then the minute that waiver window closes, they turn around and they sign them to the practice squad. Emily: Yeah, I can imagine it's kind of a stressful time for a general manager for players that they really want to keep, that they're waiting to see if somebody claims the players off waivers or not. Hilary: Yeah, it's a calculated gamble for sure because you really like this guy and you're hoping that nobody else has been paying enough attention and or sees the potential. And I do know that there's a couple players for every team each year that are picked up off of the waivers. Emily: Yeah. Hilary: So it, you know, so it does happen. And I know like for Seahawks, I know we've acquired some players that way too. Emily: So assume this waiver process works the same way throughout the year if somebody is dropped, or is that is that not true? Hilary: That is not true. Let's say that it works for Emily: Okay. Hilary: the roster cut down and it works until week four of the season. How's that? Emily: Okay, we don't need to get into those details. so no. Okay. Hilary: So, no, there are some other deadlines and things that happen as the season goes on. okay, so we've made it through waivers, we've got our 16 guys, we're gonna start the season with our practice squad. Now what, right? so it's a kind of a chaotic lifestyle for guys on the practice squad. They can't be traded, but otherwise it's unstable because they may or may not be on their team from week to week. And also other teams can sign them. So Two players a week can be activated from the practice squad on game day. And then after the game, they go back to the practice squad unless the team decides to offer them a one-year deal. And they can only be activated three times. And then after that third time, if they're elevated again, the team has to add them to their 53-man roster. And one last kind of interesting thing is Every Tuesday, teams can designate four players as protected. And that means they can't be placed on another team's active roster for that day, from that day until the kickoff for that week. Emily: Ooh, that's new information. Hilary: And they all Emily: Everything else you've been telling me, I feel like I've heard kind of, and I'm just trying to solidify it in my mind. That is that is something I don't think I knew. So those four players cannot be signed by another team. I did not know that. Hilary: Correct. Emily: can they can they designate the same four players every week or their rules about how many times you can designate them as unsignable? Hilary: You know, I did not see anything indicating that, but I would have to say I'm not a hundred percent positive. there is one other funny caveat, they can't sign with the upcoming opponent within six days of the game or 10 days on a bye week. So it's not like let's say the Rams could decide they wanted somebody from our practice squad on the Monday before the big game, right? Emily: I like that rule. I think that makes sense. Hilary: I like that role too. I think it does make sense. and the practice squad guys they are a part of the team, but they're not reaping the benefits, I guess, salary wise. They are on an 18-week Paid week by week contract. a couple extra weeks if the team goes to the playoffs, obviously, but for most of them, their contract terminates the week after the team plays the final game of the season. And there's no bonuses for them. There's no guaranteed money. It's just a flat out salary. And for 2026 players that have two years or less of those accrued seasons, they're making thirteen thousand seven fifty a week, which comes out roughly two hundred and forty seven thousand dollars a year. Veteran players, there's a larger salary range, but they're making somewhere between three hundred and thirty thousand and four hundred and ten thousand for the season, with again no bonuses, no guaranteed money, no benefits to them salary wise if they get injured, that kind of stuff. So it it is a little bit more of a tentative route, I guess. Most of the people there are hoping to improve and and make a make a roster. I don't know if there are guys who are kind of for lack of a better word, career practice squad guys, or they you know, they try it for a few years hoping that they'll make their break and then move on to something else. I do know from our home team Seahawks standpoint there are a couple of guys who this year most likely will be their second year. On the practice squad, but I don't know beyond that. And at the end of the season, the practice squad player is basically a free agent. one thing they can do or a team can do if they really like the player and want to keep them, they can sign them to what's called a reserve futures contract. that's kind of an interesting thing because. Once the season's over, NFL rosters are locked until the next March, till the start of the new year. But that roster size we're back to ninety. So they can add players via these future contracts, which means that those practice squad players would be part of the team roster when the new league year starts in March. and if they decide to do that, it's a binding contract. They can't negotiate or sign with anybody else. But I know that some teams do that for players that they're really interested in, saw a lot of progress in and are hoping that they'll make their roster for the next year off of the practice squad. They sign to some futures contracts So that's a little bit of the ins and outs of how the practice squad works. Obviously the fifty-three man roster cut down is coming up soon in August. So there should be a lot of excitement in the building as teams finalize their rosters and finalize their practice squads and solidify the guys that are gonna be making the push for this season. Emily: Well, thanks, Hillary. I feel more prepared for the upcoming season. I knew about the practice squad. I know some of the concepts you talked about, but I don't think I had it all in my brain. And I think I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go and pay attention. I'll pay attention a little bit more closely to those practice squad guys. Hilary: Yeah, I think I'm gonna follow a little more closely in a given week some of the activations or not. And I do know the teams have to announce when they sign a person to the fifty-three man roster, and that usually means they let someone else. I mean, well, it does mean they let someone else go. So I'll be curious to see how much movement there is in a given season, back and forth between the two groups. Emily: Okay, well, it was fun talking with you today. Thanks for bringing this topic to Unicorn Football Talk. Hilary: Yeah, sounds great, Emily. Let's talk again soon. We'll be back with another episode.