The NFL announced a new rule this offseason that will allow teams to have a third-string quarterback not count against the 48-player game-day roster. There is a huge stipulation, though. In order to be eligible for that, the quarterback has to be on the 53-man roster (elevated practice squad QBs will still count against the game-day roster limit).
Many fans and pundits assumed that would lead to more teams carrying three quarterbacks on their active rosters this season. For at least the Denver Broncos, the new rule didn’t have any influence on their roster construction.
“I think there were a lot of people that felt like if the new rule said, ‘Hey, you could bring a third [quarterback] off your practice squad on game day,'” coach Sean Payton explained Thursday. “That would have possibly been a good solution. [Instead], the new rule basically says if you keep a third on your active, you can bring him up free.”
The San Francisco 49ers had a quarterback emergency in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles last season and they eventually had Christian McCaffrey taking snaps in a Wildcat formation.
The Niners’ situation did not influence Payton’s decision. The veteran coach will carry Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham on the active roster and Ben DiNucci on the practice squad this fall.
“What you had in Philadelphia versus San Francisco was a once in every four-year occurrence,” Payton said Tuesday. “We like the two guys who are on the roster, and we think we are going to have a good practice squad quarterback. That’s the approach we are going to take.
“Now, there are some teams that will keep a third on their active. It’s really just your decision on how you want to handle your 53. The new rule still requires you to keep a third on your 53. I will be anxious to see — let’s call it a week from now — how many teams have three on their 53. I’m sure there will be a few, but we will have a third in the building.”
Perhaps the NFL will consider allowing teams to have a practice squad QB not count against the game-day roster sometime down the road. That’s something that Payton would utilize, but the coach won’t carry DiNucci on the 53-man roster just to have a game-day roster exception in 2023.
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