{"id":22598,"date":"2022-07-22T20:24:54","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T20:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/the-chiefs-could-use-2022-practice-squad-rules-to-avoid-a-roster-crunch\/"},"modified":"2022-07-22T20:24:54","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T20:24:54","slug":"the-chiefs-could-use-2022-practice-squad-rules-to-avoid-a-roster-crunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/the-chiefs-could-use-2022-practice-squad-rules-to-avoid-a-roster-crunch\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chiefs could use 2022 practice squad rules to avoid a roster crunch"},"content":{"rendered":"
On Tuesday, Arrowhead Pride <\/em>editor-in-chief Pete Sweeney released his initial prediction for the Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man roster. Pete sees the Chiefs going heavy on offensive weapons \u2014 which may force the team to sacrifice depth elsewhere.<\/p>\n In recent seasons, Kansas City’s front office has developed a strong reputation for finding talent \u2014 particularly late in the draft and in undrafted free agency. But the downside of such thorough work is losing talented players to the league’s waiver system at the end of training camp. At last season’s roster cutdown, the Chiefs lost cornerback Bopete Keyes \u2014 a 2020 seventh-round selection \u2014 to the Indianapolis Colts. Defensive end Tim Ward was claimed by the New York Jets. <\/p>\n When they make their final cuts on August 30, the Chiefs could lose more young talent \u2014 although every<\/em> team will be facing a roster crunch and waivers claims are rarer than fans generally predict. <\/p>\n One way teams can protect their young assets may lie in updated practice squad rules created by the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) \u2014 which have been further modified during the last three seasons as the league played through the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n In 2022 (and perhaps beyond), teams can sign up to six practice-squad players who have more than four seasons of NFL experience \u2014 although these players would count towards an overall limit of 10 players who have appeared in nine or more career games. If needed as injury replacements, such players can be elevated from the practice squad to the active roster up to three times during the regular season \u2014 and an unlimited number of times during the playoffs. Remember, though: only two practice-squad players may be elevated to the roster for a given game.<\/p>\n Because players with four or more NFL seasons are not subject to waivers until the midseason trade deadline, a team can essentially cut a veteran backup with the understanding that he will join the practice squad \u2014 assuming there is no opportunity to join another active roster.<\/p>\n Using Pete’s roster prediction, let’s look at some ways the Chiefs could take advantage of these rules to keep younger talent on the 53-man roster \u2014 without sacrificing in-house depth.<\/p>\nOffensive line depth<\/strong><\/h3>\n