PUP vs IR: What Bills Mafia should know before cut-down day

Preseason football is over and NFL teams are juggling roster decisions like never before. A big part of that process involves designations like the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) and Injured Reserve (IR). These terms get thrown around a lot, but the differences between them can have an impact on who’s available once the regular season starts.

Let’s review the key points for both the PUP list and IR…

The Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List

There are two types of PUP: active/PUP and reserve/PUP.

• Active/PUP is for players who report to training camp with an injury and aren’t cleared to practice yet. They still count against the 90-man roster and can come off this list at anytime during the preseason once they pass their physical.
• Reserve/PUP comes into play if a player still isn’t ready for Week 1. A player who stays on PUP when the 53-man roster is finalized must miss at least the first four games of the season. After that, teams have a five-week window to bring the player back to practice and 21 days after returning to practice to be named to the 53-man roster or revert to reserve, ending their 2025 season.

The key thing to know here: a player must start training camp on the PUP list to be eligible for it. If a player gets hurt during training camp or preseason, this option isn’t available.

Injured Reserve (IR)

The IR rules have changed in recent years, so here’s the current setup:

• A player placed on IR before cut-down day is finalized cannot return this season. That move is essentially a season-ending designation unless a injury settlement is reached.
• A player placed on IR after final cuts (making the 53-man roster) can return, but they must miss at least four games before being eligible. Each team can have eight designations to return throughout the season, but each player can only return twice.
• Up to two Players can be placed on IR prior to establishing the 53-man roster with a designation to return. The two players designated to return also count against the eight IR return designations allowed throughout the regular season.

The big difference from PUP: IR can be used for injuries that happen during training camp or preseason, whereas PUP is only for guys hurt before camp started.

How PUP/IR factors in for the Buffalo Bills

For a team like the Bills, navigating these lists is all about flexibility. If a player is banged up prior to the season but could realistically be back early in the season, IR is the route. If they’re still recovering from something that lingered before training camp and they still haven’t played or practiced, PUP/Reserve is on the table.

It’s a numbers game as well, because using one of these lists can free up a roster spot that might help Buffalo keep extra depth at another position. Determining whether or not they will be one...