San Francisco 49ers: Nuts & Bolts of Offseason Rosters and League Rules

The 2016 NFL Draft is complete, and the San Francisco 49ers will start the next phase of their offseason program. Let’s recap league rules and policies in place as the months count down to day one of the regular season.

The NFL just wrapped up its biggest offseason event of the calendar, and the 2016 NFL Draft is now in the books.

All 32 teams have varying standard protocols in place, but there are number of league-wide rules in place for each franchise to follow as teams prepare for rookie camps, OTAs, training camp, the preseason and, eventually, the regular season itself.

For the San Francisco 49ers, walking away with 11 draftees and 11 undrafted free agents after last weekend, the preparation and processes in advance of the various camps will be the next phase on the team’s calendar.

League rules for teams’ calendars, rosters and moves can be a little confusing, but it’s worth a recap in order to better understand exactly what the 49ers will be doing in coming days and months.

Teams can have only so many players on their offseason roster — a number which will change during the preseason and again by the time Week 1 of the regular season rolls around. There’s practice squad eligibility rules, specific camp dates and a whole lot of other information to swallow.

But let’s break down the simple version right here.

Roster Limits

Offseason rosters are limited to no more than 90 players. This is almost double the number we’ll see in the regular season, and the reason it’s so high at this point is due to teams wanting to formulate the best regular-season roster possible.

This 90-man roster doesn’t have to be trimmed until after the third week of the preseason. This gives a maximum amount of time for coaches to evaluate talent during in-game situations against real-life opponents.

In many cases, good (or promising) players will be cut at this point so they might have a chance to sign with another team before the final preseason week — perhaps adding to the player’s chances of staying in the league.

After the third week of the preseason, NFL teams must cut their rosters to 75 players. But the 75-player threshold is short. Another cut, the one which trims the roster down to 53 guys, happens a couple of days after the final preseason game.

There is also the active/inactive list for each regular-season game, but that isn’t a factor during the offseason.

Roster Lists

Injuries and a variety of other factors work their way into offseason programs, and the lists are slightly different between the offseason and regular season.

Here are the common lists seen, aside from active status:

• Active/Physically Unable to Perform (often injury-related)
• Active/Non-Football Injury or Illness (a non-NFL injury)
• Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform
• Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness
• Reserve/Injured, Designated for Return

The former two are most common during the offseason, since players aren’t required to be on a reserve list until after the preseason.

One should note though a non-football injury — either active or reserve — is frequently applied to players who suffered some sort of football injury but at the collegiate level. For example, wide receiver DeAndre Smelter, who was recovering from an ACL tear his rookie season in 2015, remained on the NFI list since it wasn’t an NFL-related injury.

Here’s CBS Sports‘ breakdown on how the transition from active to reserve would work at the preseason’s conclusion:

"Simultaneously with the cut-down to 53, clubs that have players in the categories of Active/Physically Unable to Perform or Active/Non-Football Injury or Illness must select one of the following options: place player on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform or Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness, whichever is applicable; request waivers; terminate contract; trade contract; or continue to count the player on the Active List."

49ers Offseason Dates

Since the 49ers are employing a new head coach, Chip Kelly, the team was allowed to partake in team-related activities on April 4 — earlier than teams with returning head coaches, which was on April 18.

Teams are allowed to hold a single three-day rookie minicamp one of the weekends immediately following the NFL Draft.

Following rookie minicamps, teams will then hold organized team activities (OTAs). Here’s the breakdown, from the team’s website, on the OTAs to be held May 17-19, May 24-26, May 31 and June 1-2:

"Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs.” No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills with helmets are permitted. Maximum six hours per day, with a maximum two hours on field for any player."

Mandatory minicamp takes place June 7-9:

"No mandatory veteran minicamp may exceed three days in length, plus one day for physical examinations. Two-a-day practices shall be permitted at two of the three practice days of the club’s one mandatory minicamp. Players may only be asked to participate in the club’s activities for a maximum of ten hours per day including taping and treatment but excluding mealtime. On-field activities are limited to three and a half hours per player."

Practice Squad Rules

The NFL upped the limit on teams’ practice squads from eight to 10 players, which gives a couple more NFL hopefuls the chance to find a way to break into the league.

The practice squad was designed as a tool to retain players, who aren’t necessarily NFL-caliber guys, with the hope of coaching them up into something useful — sort of like an abbreviated MLB minor league system or NBA developmental league. Only in far fewer numbers.

Typically, the practice squad finds itself filled by late-round draft picks and/or undrafted free agents.

Practice squad players go through the same practices and rigors as the regular-season roster. But they can’t suit up for game day unless activated.

Not everyone can be placed on the practice squad though. It’s intended for players with limited or no experience in NFL on-field action.

Here’s a summary of the eligibility rules, courtesy of Matt Verderame of FanSided (then SB Nation):

"A player can be eligible if he does not have an accrued season in the NFL, although the NFL has now approved a maximum of two spots on the PS for players with no more than two accrued seasons. To have an accrued season, you have to be active for at least six regular-season games. A player can also go to the practice squad with an accrued season provided they were on the 45-man active roster for less than nine-regular season games.In addition, a player is allowed on the practice squad for two years. If a player is on the practice squad for six weeks, up from three weeks per the previous agreement, in a season, it is considered a year of PS service. Players are only allowed to be on a practice squad for a third year if their team keeps 53 players on the active-inactive list at all times."

Practice squad players receive substantially less compensation compared to their active counterparts. But like anything else contractual, a team can pay any practice squad player a higher amount if desired.

Other teams can sign players off a practice squad but only to a 53-man roster. Teams cannot sign a PS player only to place him on their own practice squad.

There is some thought behind why teams often “talk down” their own PS players in an effort to dissuade other teams from signing a player from their own practice squad.

Last year, for example, former head coach Jim Tomsula wasn’t overly complementary about running back Jarryd Hayne, in spite of Hayne’s amazing preseason efforts. Hayne ended up on the practice squad and stayed there until being promoted late in the regular season.

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There are other ways to stash players, of course, especially if they don’t have PS eligibility. But the 49ers might have some tough decisions this offseason regarding players no longer eligible for the practice squad.

Or those decisions may not be so tough, depending on how one chooses to view players’ possible impact.

Next: Quick Takes on 49ers 2016 UDFA Class

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.