The first practice of camp is in the books, which means it's time for everybody to misunderstand how the PUP list works again, so here's my yearly attempt to fix that. First off, there are two variants of the PUP list - active PUP and reserve PUP. Active PUP is the list that guys who can't go at the start of camp get placed on and can be activated off at any time during camp (Beatty was placed on this list). Reserve PUP is the list that if you started on the active PUP and by the time week 1 rolls around still aren't ready to hit the roster you go on - this has the minimum out the first 6 weeks rule.
Now, here is the one huge catch - if you practice, at all, even 1 snap on one day, YOU CANNOT GO ON THE PUP (either variant). Even if on that one play you tear out a meniscus and need to miss 6-8 weeks - one snap = NO PUP. So all the guys who were on the field today, no matter any future injury they may have in camp - NONE of them can be placed on the PUP list. No PUP for Cruz, Beckham, Berhe, nor Thompson, despite all being limited. They participated in a practice and as such are ineligible.
For those who go on the active PUP (at this point, only Beatty, technically JPP is eligible too but that will be an NFI list issue), by the end of the preseason if they are still on it there are 4 options: activate to 53 man roster, place on IR (out for year), release, or go to reserve PUP. The reserve PUP rules are as follows:
- Weeks 1-6: OUT. Not allowed to practice.
- After week 6 a three week window opens for the player to return to practice but still not be on the 53 man roster. This window can be activated anywhere between weeks 7 and 9. If by the end of this window the player is not ready to return to practice, your choices are IR or release.
- Once the player returns to practice, a second three week window opens during which time the player can practice but still not be on the 53 man roster. At the end of this window the player must be activated to the 53 man roster, placed on IR or released.
- By strategically using the rules, a player placed on the reserve PUP could return to the 53 man roster as soon as week 7 or as late as week 13. You do not need to use the full time of the two windows if the player is ready to return, but if extra time is needed you can wait the full 3 weeks to return to practice and have 3 more weeks from there as a non-roster practice player before returning to the 53 man roster and being eligible to play in games.
Beatty is obviously going to be on the reserve PUP at the end of camp - if he's ready to come back this season he has until week 13 (12/6 vs NYJ) at the very latest to prove it. Lastly, while Troy Kropog was placed on the PUP earlier this offseason, he was released today and is no longer with the team.
