If you’re an NFL fan, you’ve probably heard the term PUP list thrown around. You might know that it has something to do with NFL injuries, but what is it exactly? What does PUP stand for, what are the PUP list rules, and how does it differ from injured reserve (IR)?
Explaining the NFL PUP List
PUP is an acronym for “physically unable to perform.”
The PUP list is a roster designation that NFL teams use for players who were injured before training camp began.
When a player is injured and placed on the PUP list at the start of training camp, he is put on the active/PUP list. He counts against the team’s 90-man roster and while he can participate in meetings, he is not allowed to practice. If the player practices — even once — during training camp, he must leave the PUP list and be activated to the club’s roster.
The vast majority of players on the active/PUP list will be removed and activated before training camp ends.
However, if a player is still injured by the time the regular season arrives, he is transferred to the reserve/PUP list. Once a player is placed on the reserve/PUP list, he must miss at least the first four games of the regular season. He will not count against his team’s 53-man roster during this time.
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After the player’s four-game absence, the player has a five-week window to begin practicing. Once he begins practicing, the team has a three-week window to place him on the 53-man roster.
If the player cannot return to practice or returns to practice but isn’t healthy enough to return to the active roster by the time those deadlines pass, he must stay on the PUP list for the rest of the season.
How Does the PUP List Differ From IR?
While the PUP list and injured reserve are both injury-related lists that enable NFL teams to manage their rosters, they have very different rules.
Players are only eligible for the PUP list — either active or reserve — if they were injured coming into training camp. Once a player practices, they can no longer be placed on the PUP list during that season.
If a player goes on IR at any point during the summer (including training camp, the preseason, or any time before his team assembles its 53-man roster), they can no longer play for the team that season.
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The player would have to either remain on IR for the entire year or agree to an injury settlement to be removed from the club’s IR list.
If a team wants an injured player to go on IR to begin the season but remain eligible to return later in the year, the player has to be carried on the club’s initial 53-man roster. The team can then place him on IR the following day.
Any player who’s on injured reserve must miss at least four games before returning to the active roster. NFL teams are allowed eight IR activations per season. A player can be designated to return up to two times, but each return counts against the team limit.
