<
        >

          NFL owners approve second IR-eligible to return spot; 75-man cut axed

          play
          Riddick: New roster rules will lead to gigantic waiver wire (0:43)

          Louis Riddick examines the ramifications of the NFL's decision to make the final roster cut from 90 to 53 players. (0:43)

          • ESPN.com news services
          May 23, 2017, 04:57 PM

          Two new rules approved by NFL owners on Tuesday will alter the looks of rosters at certain points throughout the season.

          At their annual spring meetings in Chicago, owners approved a rule that allows teams to make two players eligible to return from injured reserve each season.

          Under previous rules, teams were allowed to designate only one player to be activated from IR.

          Any player who spends at least six weeks on IR is eligible to return to practice. Once he returns to practice, his team will have 14 days to determine whether to activate the player from IR.

          Also, NFL rosters now will drop from 90 to 53 players after the final preseason game, after owners voted to eliminate the cut to 75 players before that game, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

          That means more players will get a final chance to make an NFL roster, and there will be a frenzy of activity after the final preseason game.