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The NFL owners adopted a new rule regarding game rosters that should pay immediate benefits for the Detroit Lions.
In their latest owner’s meetings, the league passed a rule that allows teams to keep a third quarterback active for a game without counting as a roster pot toward the game limit.
The rule effectively allows teams to dress the third quarterback for a game without having him soak up a roster spot. Using the Lions as an example, it would allow current reserves Hendon Hooker and Nate Sudfeld to remain on the 53-man roster and active for games. However, only one of them would count toward the active gameday roster.
Instead of having to perhaps keep Hooker active as the No. 3 in Week 1 and deactivate another position player who might actually play outside of emergency circumstances, now that choice doesn’t need to be made. Hooker can stay active, and the Lions can also keep an extra defensive back or running back healthy.
It gives the Lions (and other teams) more gameday roster flexibility to handle a rash of injuries at one position group. This can help the Lions deal with Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow being perennially questionable with his toe injury. Detroit can now keep an extra offensive lineman active without the risk of having to play without a quarterback if both Jared Goff and Sudfeld were rendered incapable of playing.
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Here is the NFL’s official rule explanation via NFL.com,
One hour and 30 minutes prior to kickoff, each club is required to establish its Active List for the game by notifying the Referee of the players on its Inactive List for that game. Each club may also designate one emergency third quarterback from its 53-player Active/Inactive List (i.e., elevated players are not eligible for designation) who will be eligible to be activated during the game, if the club’s first two quarterbacks on its game day Active List are not able to participate in the game due to injury or disqualification (activation cannot be a result of a head coach’s in-game decision to remove a player from the game due to performance or conduct). If either of the injured quarterbacks is cleared by the medical staff to return to play, the emergency third quarterback must be removed from the game and is not permitted to continue to play quarterback or any other position, but is eligible to return to the game to play quarterback if another emergency third quarterback situation arises.
A club is not eligible to use these procedures if it carries three quarterbacks on its game day Active List [47- or 48-players in 2023].
It’s a smart reversion to what was the standard NFL rule from 1991-2010.
Editor’s note: A portion of this was deleted after the interpretation of the rule was incorrect