Injured reserve (IR)
An NFL term
A roster list for injured players that frees up an active roster spot. A player on injured reserve must miss a minimum number of games, and each team can bring back only a limited number during the season.
Going on IR is not always season-ending. A player designated to return can come back once he has served the minimum absence, and teams get a set number of those designations per year.
A player placed on IR before roster cuts, rather than after, generally cannot return that season at all. That timing distinction decides careers.
Teams use IR strategically as much as medically, because it is the cleanest way to hold a roster spot open.
You’ll hear it like this
He went on injured reserve with a designation to return, so the earliest he plays is Week 9.
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Checked 2026-08-07.