Every year around this time, we’re reminded of just how ridiculous the NFL’s rules around the use of injury reserve have become. We just saw it with some of the Cowboys’ latest maneuvers, cutting veterans for less than 24 hours for some IR maneuvering. It’s become a convoluted maze of loopholes, not only creating confusion but also undercutting the integrity of one of the purest ideas in sports: making the team.

To its credit, the league has become increasingly responsive to concerns about player safety and overall health. There was a time when moving a player to IR was an automatic season-ender, and then another point where only two guys could return from IR during the year, provided they were part of the initial 53-man roster after final cuts and designated for early return.

Layers of

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