What is injured reserve in the NFL?
Injured reserve is a list in the NFL where teams place players who are sidelined by injury. A player placed on it must miss at least four games, according to the rules described in the sources. It is a way for a team to keep an injured player off the active roster while he recovers.
Why it's in the news
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown returned from four weeks on injured reserve and had a difficult game against the New York Jets, with four catches on 10 targets and three drops. He spoke about the game on Tuesday and said he was looking forward to the Bears game.
- Aj Brown Stats — A.J. Brown struggles in Patriots return against Jets
Background
Injured reserve is a designation used by the National Football League. When a player is hurt, his team can move him to this list. Players on injured reserve cannot play, and they do not count toward the active roster during that time. The list is the main way a team sets aside a player who will be out for a long stretch.
According to the rules described in the sources, a player on injured reserve misses at least four games. Once his time on the list is over, he can return to the lineup. The league's roster system is more detailed than this summary, and the specific procedures are set out in the league's own rules.
The term is in the news because of New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown. He returned to the lineup on a Sunday after four weeks on injured reserve, facing the New York Jets. In that game he caught four of 10 passes thrown his way and dropped three. Brown later said that getting open was the hardest part of the day and that he did not make the play. He did not blame his ankle or a lack of rhythm, and he said he would keep his same routine for the Chicago Bears game the following week. Other coverage described the outing as a rough one for him and for the Patriots' passing game.