Practice Squad Eligibility, FYI

[patchick]

This time of year we start projecting a lot of players to the practice squad, so it seems a good moment to review the eligibility criteria and identify the eligible Pats players.

Eligible players are restricted to those who:

Do not have an accrued season of free agency credit
OR
were on the 45-player active list for less than nine regular season games during their only accrued season.
Where "accrued season" means:
Six or more regular-season games on a club's active, inactive, reserved-injured or PUP lists

Max time on PS is 3 seasons; in the 3rd season, the player must be moved to the 53 if there's an open slot.


Below is my reckoning of a complete list of eligible non-rookies on the 80-man roster. This is a first pass and some players bounce around a lot and can be tricky to sort out. If you spot errors or omissions please let me know!

CB Mike Richardson
QB Matt Gutierrez
DT Titus Adams
OL Jimmy Martin
DB Antwain Spann
SAK Raymond Ventrone
OL Dan Connolly
CB Jeff Shoate

[edit: updated 8/20]

 

[pats1]

See, the only thing about those PS eligibility rules are these two players:

Billy Yates: Earned an accrued season in both 2003 and 2005, then was on the practice squad in 2006.

Jeff Shoate: Earned an accrued season in both 2004 and 2005, then was on the practice squad in 2006.

But here's my list of PS-eligible non-rookies on the roster right now, based on the rules in your post (with the caveats listed above, it's possible there could be more players):

Jimmy Martin
Matt Gutierrez
Ray Vetrone (3rd year PS)
Titus Adams
Mike Richardson
Antwain Spann (3rd year PS)

Dan Connolly and C.J. Jones are NOT practice squad eligible - unless there's something to the Yates and Shoate anomalies and it's possible to go on the PS with 2 accrued seasons.

In Jones' case, he already has 3 practice squad season (3 weeks on PS = 1 season). He was on the Browns' PS for 5 weeks in 2003, 16 games in 2004, and was on the Patriots' PS for 16 weeks in 2007.

In Connolly's case, he earned an accrued season in 2005 and another in 2006 while on IR.

 

[patchick]

In Jones' case, he already has 3 practice squad season (3 weeks on PS = 1 season). He was on the Browns' PS for 5 weeks in 2003, 16 games in 2004, and was on the Patriots' PS for 16 weeks in 2007.

In Connolly's case, he earned an accrued season in 2005 and another in 2006 while on IR.

Thanks, I had different info for Jones in '03 and Connolly in '05-- I'll update post #1 to keep it clear.

 

[Pats726]

Dan Connolly and C.J. Jones are NOT practice squad eligible - unless there's something to the Yates and Shoate anomalies and it's possible to go on the PS with 2 accrued seasons.

In Jones' case, he already has 3 practice squad season (3 weeks on PS = 1 season). He was on the Browns' PS for 5 weeks in 2003, 16 games in 2004, and was on the Patriots' PS for 16 weeks in 2007.

In Connolly's case, he earned an accrued season in 2005 and another in 2006 while on IR.

So last year was the 3rd for Connolly and Jones?? Just curious..It is a bit complicated when players move around a bit..I would have thought Bubba's time already ran out..

 

[patchick]

So last year was the 3rd for Connolly and Jones?? Just curious..It is a bit complicated when players move around a bit..I would have thought Bubba's time already ran out..

One of Ventrone's years was spend on IR. Definitely complicated!

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I'm not sure Connelly and Jones have exhausted their 3rd year eligibility.

I also understood that an opening on the roster did "not" have to be filled by a 3rd year PS player, as long as the roster slot was filled...in other words, a 3rd year player must be brought onto the roster and paid league minimum if the club "does not" find another candidate for that slot.

 

[patchick]

I'm not sure Connelly and Jones have exhausted their 3rd year eligibility.

I also understood that an opening on the roster did "not" have to be filled by a 3rd year PS player, as long as the roster slot was filled...in other words, a 3rd year player must be brought onto the roster and paid league minimum if the club "does not" find another candidate for that slot.

Right, I wasn't clear in describing that...I just meant that a slot can't sit empty for a game without promoting them, not that they must be the first choices to fill a slot that opens midweek.

As for Connelly and Jones, I'm pretty much stumped. Where do you find authoritative stats on things like the number of games a player was signed but inactive for?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

As for Connelly and Jones, I'm pretty much stumped. Where do you find authoritative stats on things like the number of games a player was signed but inactive for?

For the Pats, I've gotten my hands on the Patriots' end of season release the past couple years, League wide I have no idea...maybe Miguel knows?

 

[Pats726]

For the Pats, I've gotten my hands on the Patriots' end of season release the past couple years, League wide I have no idea...maybe Miguel knows?

Well...I have tracked the Pats inactves for years..the ONLY way would be to look up the games week by week..always lists players not playing...A bit confusing..I agree..
Yes..I knew Ventrone had a year out as he was injured in the NFLE..and then really didn't do much until the season after..

 

[pats1]

So last year was the 3rd for Connolly and Jones?? Just curious..It is a bit complicated when players move around a bit..I would have thought Bubba's time already ran out..

No, Connolly is ineligible because he has 2 accrued seasons - which by the rules above would disqualify him, but as we saw with Yates and Shoate, that might not be true.

Jones is ineligible because he already has 3 practice squad seasons under his belt.

 

[pats1]

Well...I have tracked the Pats inactves for years..the ONLY way would be to look up the games week by week..always lists players not playing...A bit confusing..I agree..
Yes..I knew Ventrone had a year out as he was injured in the NFLE..and then really didn't do much until the season after..

If you check the NFL.com game logs, you can tell if a player is inactive or not. If a game is listed in the game log, then they were on the 53-man roster for that game. If the "G" column has a 0, then they were inactive - if it has a 1, then they were active.

 

[Pats726]

If you check the NFL.com game logs, you can tell if a player is inactive or not. If a game is listed in the game log, then they were on the 53-man roster for that game. If the "G" column has a 0, then they were in active - if it has a 1, then they were active.

That's even better...Thanks..

 

[pats1]

One of Ventrone's years was spend on IR. Definitely complicated!

There's a difference between accrued seasons and practice squad seasons. You can (supposedly) have no more than 1 accrued season (6 games on the 53, IR, PUP) for PS eligibility, and no more than 8 on the 45 for that. You can also have no more than 3 practice squad seasons (3 games on PS) for PS eligibility.

In Ventrone's case, he earned a practice squad season in 2005, an accrued season in 2006, and a practice squad season in 2007 (he wasn't on the 53 enough for an accrued season too).

So that's 1 accrued season (<9 active too, since he was on the Reserve/NFLE injured list), and 2 practice squad seasons for Ventrone.

 

[pats1]

That's even better...Thanks..

I meant to say that if that column has a 0 then they were inactive.

[Edit: I did, but I said "in active!"]

 

[Pats726]

There's a difference between accrued seasons and practice squad seasons. You can (supposedly) have no more than 1 accrued season (6 games on the 53, IR, PUP) for PS eligibility, and no more than 8 on the 45 for that. You can also have no more than 3 practice squad seasons (3 games on PS) for PS eligibility.

In Ventrone's case, he earned a practice squad season in 2005, an accrued season in 2006, and a practice squad season in 2007 (he wasn't on the 53 enough for an accrued season too).

So that's 1 accrued season (>8 active too, since he was on the Reserve/NFLE injured list), and 2 practice squad seasons for Ventrone.

So...are you saying he's PSqd eligible??? I agree..it is quite complicated....so a player can have an accrued season...1...and only after 3 Psqd seasons NOT be eligible?? I wasn't aware that PUP or IR entered into it all...

 

[ctpatsfan77]

There's a difference between accrued seasons and practice squad seasons. You can (supposedly) have no more than 1 accrued season (6 games on the 53, IR, PUP) for PS eligibility, and no more than 8 on the 45 for that. You can also have no more than 3 practice squad seasons (3 games on PS) for PS eligibility.

In Ventrone's case, he earned a practice squad season in 2005, an accrued season in 2006, and a practice squad season in 2007 (he wasn't on the 53 enough for an accrued season too).

So that's 1 accrued season (>8 active too, since he was on the Reserve/NFLE injured list), and 2 practice squad seasons for Ventrone.

Actually, in this thread, Mrs. B says that Ventrone received an injury settlement from the Pats--which I believe means 2006 wouldn't count as an accrued season.

 

[patchick]

So that's 1 accrued season (>8 active too, since he was on the Reserve/NFLE injured list), and 2 practice squad seasons for Ventrone.

Should that read <9 active? And is it really accrued in that scenario?

And Pats726, yes, you can have 1 accrued season (with <9 games active) + 2 PS seasons and be eligible for a 3rd PS year. That's how a guy like C.J. Jones has managed to hang around not-quite making the NFL for so long!

 

[pats1]

So...are you saying he's PSqd eligible??? I agree..it is quite complicated....so a player can have an accrued season...1...and only after 3 Psqd seasons NOT be eligible?? I wasn't aware that PUP or IR entered into it all...

Yes, Ventrone is eligible. I never said anything to the contrary, or at least I don't think so.

Yes, IR and PUP count for accrued seasons (same formula, so 6 games/weeks (byes count unless they're the 6th and final week) = 1 season). Only NF-Illness/Injury, Suspension, Exempt list, Left Squad, and Did Not Report do not count.

Actually, in this thread, Mrs. B says that Ventrone received an injury settlement from the Pats--which I believe means 2006 wouldn't count as an accrued season.

That is incorrect. Ventrone was on the Reserve/NFL Europe injury list for all of 2006 and released in February 2007. The Reserve/NFL Europe injury list acts in the same way as the IR, which means that Ventrone earned an accrued season in 2006.

Should that read <9 active? And is it really accrued in that scenario?

Yes, it should. My bad.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

That is incorrect. Ventrone was on the Reserve/NFL Europe injury list for all of 2006 and released in February 2007. The Reserve/NFL Europe injury list acts in the same way as the IR, which means that Ventrone earned an accrued season in 2006.

OK . . . that's strange, because Mrs. B actually talked to Ventrone (who was coaching football at a local HS at the time), and I don't think she'd use those words randomly.

In any case--let me pose the question as a hypothetical: if it were true that the Pats gave him an injury settlement, would that count as an accrued season?

 

[pats1]

OK . . . that's strange, because Mrs. B actually talked to Ventrone (who was coaching football at a local HS at the time), and I don't think she'd use those words randomly. . . .

Well, the term "injury settlement" is used pretty loosely - sometimes it means the player was waived directly with an injury settlement, sometimes it means the player was waived/injured, cleared waivers, reverted to IR, and then was released from IR with an injury settlement. Sometimes writers incorrectly identify players who were waived injured but kept on IR as receiving "injury settlements."

But believe me, officially, Ventrone was placed on the "Reserve/Non-Football Injury-NFL Europe" list with a shoulder injury on August 29, 2006, along with Earl Charles and Zuriel Smith. Ventrone was waived on February 12, 2007 along with Zuriel Smith (who failed a physical; Ventrone is not listed as having done so). Charles was waived with a failed physical the next day. Ventrone then signed with the Jets on February 20, 2007.

Ventrone's 2006 contract - the one that he was injured under and he was waived from in February 2007 - was a split contract that allowed for the Patriots to pay less of a base salary and insurance to pick up some (all?) as well. The Pats ended up having no cap hit as a result.

None of that affects his practice squad eligibility, though. He would be eligible even if he was released in 2006.