Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

NFL keeping COVID-related injured reserve rules for 2021 season

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Aug 10, 2021 7:30 PM ET

The NFL annoyed some fans and observers Tuesday by announcing that taunting rules will be heavily enforced during the 2021 season.

Such individuals will likely support a different change that reportedly has been coming since early June.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero tweeted on Tuesday that the league is once again allowing for an unlimited number of players to return from the injured reserve list for the upcoming campaign. Additionally, players will be eligible to return from IR after missing a minimum of three games instead of eight:

The NFL just made it official in a memo to clubs: Unlimited players can return from a team’s injured reserve list in 2021 and they’re eligible after missing three games, rather than eight weeks, per source. A popular change spawned by COVID challenges stays for another year.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 10, 2021

Worth noting: As in the past, only players on the 53-man roster after cutdown are eligible to be designated for return from IR (or NFI). Limits “stashing” scenarios. So, this year that’s anytime after 4 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Full memo here: pic.twitter.com/E5sbXasEbQ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 10, 2021

The NFL originally embraced these regulations last year when COVID-19 vaccine shots weren't available to all players, and there was hope in June these could become standard full-time roster rules moving forward. There's currently no indication the league and NFL Players Association are close to signing off on such a sweeping long-term amendment, but Tuesday's development is a step in the right direction as personnel prepare for a campaign that will include every team completing 17 regular-season games.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

More must-reads: