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Practice squad rules 2026, explained

NFL teams including the New York Giants can start building their practice squads as soon as the waiver claim period for players released by Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline to reach the 53-man roster limit is reached. That deadline this year is Monday at 1 p.m..

Practice squad rules

How many players? NFL practice squads currently consist of 16 players. Teams can carry 17 if one is an international player eligible for a practice squad exemption. For the Giants, that player will be Australian offensive lineman Jarrod Gray.

Who is eligible? Here are the current eligibility rules:

Players who do not have an accrued season of NFL experience.

Free agent players who were on the Active List for fewer than nine games in their only accrued season.

A maximum of 10 free agent players who have earned no more than two accrued seasons.

A maximum of six free agent players with no limitations to their number of earned accrued seasons.

When can teams start building practice squads? Once the waiver claim period ends teams can begin to sign players to their practice squads. This year, that means 1 p.m. ET on Monday.

How much do practice squad players make? Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, players with two accrued seasons or less will earn $13,750 for each week they are on a practice squad. Players with more than two accrued seasons will earn at least $18,350 per week with a maximum of $22,850.

Poaching players: Teams can sign players off the practice squad of any other NFL team. That player must be added to the new team’s 53-man roster and be eligible for at least three games. COVID-era practice squad protections which enabled teams to designate four players each week who could not be signed by another team no longer exist.

Waiver claim order

The waiver claim order is based on the order of the most recent NFL Draft.. Throughout the preseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the waiver wire order is based on that year’s original NFL Draft order (trades are irrelevant). After the first three weeks of the regular season, the waiver order is based on the standings at the time.

The current order is:

1. Las Vegas Raiders

2. New York Jets

3. Arizona Cardinals

4. Tennessee Titans

5. New York Giants

6. Cleveland Browns

7. Washington Commanders

8. New Orleans Saints

9. Kansas City Chiefs

10. Cincinnati Bengals

11. Miami Dolphins

12. Dallas Cowboys

13. Atlanta Falcons

14. Baltimore Ravens

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

16. Indianapolis Colts

17. Detroit Lions

18. Minnesota Vikings

19. Carolina Panthers

20. Green Bay Packers

21. Pittsburgh Steelers

22. Los Angeles Chargers

23. Philadelphia Eagles

24. Jacksonville Jaguars

25. Chicago Bears

26. Buffalo Bills

27. San Francisco 49ers

28. Houston Texans

29. Los Angeles Rams

30. Denver Broncos

31. New England Patriots

32. Seattle Seahawks

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