Explaining NFL roster designations: What PUP, IR, NFI mean

The New York Giants recently placed three players on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list in advance of training camp. What do all of the lists/roster designations we commonly hear about mean?

Physically Unable to Perform (PUP)

The physically unable to perform (PUP) list is for players who are judged physically unable to perform in football activities due to an injury suffered playing or practicing football. Players on the PUP list can be around the team, but cannot practice. Players must be placed on the PUP list before the beginning of training camp. There are two varieties of PUP lists:

• Active PUP — These are players placed on the PUP list before training camp. They are counted as part of a team’s 90-man roster, but are not allowed to practice until physically cleared and removed from PUP. A player on Active PUP can be removed from the list at any point in training camp.
• Reserve PUP — If a player on Active PUP during training camp is not removed from the list, he can be placed on this list when teams cut their rosters to the 53-man regular-season limit. A player on this list must miss at least the first four games of the season. One change to this rule for 2026 is that players on Reserve PUP can now begin practicing after missing the first two weeks. Previously, the 21-day practice window to decided whether to activate a player or place him on season-ending Injured Reserve opened after the four-week time frame.

Injured Reserve (IR)

Players are placed on Injured Reserve (IR) when they suffer a football-related injury that will force them to miss several games, allowing their team to replace them on the roster.

NFL rules now allow up to two players who were placed on IR to be designated to return during the season. If a player is placed on IR before roster cutdowns, they are ineligible to return. That is why the Giants, who believe there is a small chance defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris can return this season from his torn Achilles tendon, have not placed Robertson-Harris on IR. Team can designate as many as eight players to return from IR during the season, 10 if they reach the playoffs.

Players on IR must miss at least four games.

Non-Football Injury/Illness (NFI)

The Non-Football Injury (NFI) list pertains to players who were injured or became ill while away from football activities, such as if they were injured working out on their own away from the team facility.

The NFI list functions similarly to the PUP list in terms of active and reserve NFI.