Rule Changes

NFLPA agrees to later trade deadline, injured reserve exception | ProFootballTalk

 

Moving the deadline back might break a few trades loose because by week 8 most teams know their playoff possibilities. But I don't see it as a boon to player movement. Draft picks are just too valuable and trading player for player doesn't make sense most times.

As for Carolina's single IR candidate...Brandon Hogan?

According to the new rules, any injured player a team has cut but would have been a good fit for the mini-IR must be added back to the roster by tomorrow, and then placed on the short-term IR list on 9/4. The problem with this, of course, is that an active roster player would have to be cut to make room for the injured player. I believe that newly cut player could be re-signed on 9/4. Honestly don't see anyone from the cut list or the active list the Panthers would do this for.

The only one I see that might be viable would be Hogan, who the team put on IR on Monday. David Gettis is on the PUP list so he could get back on the field in 6 weeks, as opposed to the mini-IR guy who has to miss at least 6 weeks of practice before getting back on the field, so 8 weeks back is the realistic time frame. I don't know the extent of his injury, but Lee Ziemba may qualify, too.

Of course, it may be better to wait until after week 1 to evaluate the mini-IR. A key player that goes down (Jon Beason?) week one could conceivably come back and help in week nine when the Panthers are making a playoff push.

Whatever happens, the new rules certainly add flexibility to what GM's can do with the roster.

 

Yeah we have guys on the team now that could be IR'd (in the future) and come back and help us. Unless we want to bring back Otah