The NFL has tweaked its roster rules around injured reserve significantly in the last ten years or so, with the rules changes affording teams much more flexibility to manage medium-term injuries. Years
ago, if a player was placed on the Reserve/Injured list (more commonly referred to as “injured reserve” or “IR”), his season was over.
Now, the league allows teams to designate up to eight players to return from IR during a single regular season. Additionally, teams that make the playoffs are allowed two additional return designations for postseason play. Unlike in past years, teams do not need to make the return designation immediately when sending a player to IR; instead, any individual who is placed on IR during the regular season may be designated for return at a later date, though once a DTR designation is made, it cannot be removed.
Preseason IR moves are a bit different. Until recently, any player put on IR at or before the deadline for teams to cut down to a 53-man roster would be ineligible to get a return designation and would be out for the season. That required teams to keep a player on the 53 for at least one day before sending them to IR. In 2024, however, the league added a tweak that allowed teams to send two players to IR on cut-down day and give them the return designation at that time, maintaining their eligibility to play again later on in the season. Importantly, those DTR statuses do count towards teams’ total allotment.
This year, the Green Bay Packers retain plenty of flexibility with their return designations. The team did use both of of the cutdown deadline spots, leaving them with only six DTR slots remaining to use during the regular season. To this point, however, the Packers have not yet designated any other players for return, though they are likely to have one assignment coming in the near term. That would leave the team with five more available to use in the regular season, with an additional two if they manage to hold on for a playoff spot.
Put on Injured Reserve in preseason
Travis Glover
Placed on IR Aug. 6
Glover injured his shoulder early on in training camp practices, reportedly tearing his lat muscle. That injury was expected to sideline him for the entire season. By placing Glover on injured reserve prior to the final cut-down deadline to the 53-man roster, Glover is ineligible to return this season.
MarShawn Lloyd – DTR
Placed on IR-DTR Aug. 26
The Packers used both of their DTR slots at final cuts on Lloyd, sending him to IR to free up a roster spot while maintaining his eligibility to return at some point this season. He could be activated at any time if healthy, but his ongoing hamstring issues continue to confound the Packers, as he was recently sent for evaluation by a third party. Before week 9, head coach Matt LaFleur said he “would count on (Lloyd returning) anytime soon,” suggesting that the young running back may end up wasting one of the Packers’ eight DTR spots for 2025.
However, Lloyd was spotted doing some individual work in practice on Thursday ahead of the team’s week 11 game with the Giants. This could be a sign that he is starting to ramp up towards returning sometime in the second half of the season after all.
Jacob Monk – DTR
Placed on IR-DTR Aug. 26
Activated from IR Oct. 18
Monk joined Lloyd as the DTR players at final cuts, as he was dealing with a hamstring injury in the preseason. He was activated back onto the 53-man roster after the Packers’ fifth game of the season, but has been a healthy scratch for each of the last four weeks. Expect Monk to start dressing on gameday now that starting center Elgton Jenkins is out with an injury, and Monk may be the new second-string player behind Sean Rhyan.
Put on Injured Reserve during regular season
Brenton Cox, Jr.
Placed on IR Sept. 11
Cox left the Packers’ season opener against the Lions with a groin injury and moved to injured reserve shortly thereafter. That week 1 game saw Cox as DE5 with rookie Barryn Sorrell scratched due to injury, but he has moved into Cox’s spot in the lineup as a rotational defensive end. The Packers could designate Cox for return at any point, as he has missed the required four games. However, for the time being there is little urgency to do so from a roster management perspective since the team already has five DEs on the roster and has been getting by with dressing only four while Lukas Van Ness has been injured the past few weeks.
Elgton Jenkins
Placed on IR Nov. 11
Jenkins broke his fibula and suffered additional ankle injuries on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. That injury will take some time to heal, likely knocking him out for the remainder of the season. In all likelihood, the only way he could return would be if the Packers make a deep playoff run, which would allow him to take up one of the team’s two bonus DTR spots they would receive if they qualify for the postseason.
Tucker Kraft
Placed on IR Nov. 4
Kraft tore his right ACL in the Packers’ loss to the Carolina Panthers in week 9, and he was placed on IR two days later. He will be out for the rest of the 2025 season with no chance of returning this year.
Nick Niemann
Placed on IR Nov. 1
Niemann, a special teams specialist and reserve linebacker, landed on injured reserve following a pectoral injury he suffered in the team’s week 8 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The severity of his injury is uncertain, but there is a chance he could return this season. The first game he would be eligible to return for would be the Thanksgiving Day contest against the Detroit Lions.
Jayden Reed
Placed on IR Sept. 20
Reed suffered a broken collarbone in the Packers’ victory over the Washington Commanders in week 2 and went on injured reserve shortly thereafter. The following week he had two surgeries, one to fix that break and another to address a Jones fracture in his foot, which he had been playing through. Reed has already been on injured reserve for the minimum of four games and is generally expected to return to game action in late November or early December.
Like Lloyd, Reed was out on the field for Thursday’s practice, though his work was likely limited to individual conditioning drills. He has not yet been designated for return, but that appears to be coming soon.
Physically Unable to Perform List
Beyond the Injured Reserve list, the Packers also have two players on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list. This list is for players who failed their initial physical at the start of training camp due to a football-related injury and were not cleared at any point before the regular season. These players are ineligible to return for the first six games of the season (which have now passed), but if either of them returns, it does not count against the 8 Injured Reserve return spots.
Collin Oliver
The Packers’ 5th-round pick in 2025, Oliver is a speedy pass-rushing specialist who suffered a major foot injury in his final college football season. As with Cox, there appear to be no significant roster-related reasons to try to accelerate his return, and this season may turn out to be effectively a medical redshirt year.
John Williams
Another rookie draft pick, Williams was a 7th-round selection out of Cincinnati. A back injury has kept him out for the entirety of the season so far, and there have been no significant updates on his status to this point in the season. If he would be ready, however, recent injuries on the offensive line could make his return a welcome one for depth purposes at some point in the second half.
