In sports, the practice squad , also called the taxi squad or practice roster , is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in American or Canadian football , these squads consist of less athletically developed or skilled players. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout team emulating an upcoming opponent's play style.

Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown invented the "taxi squad," a group of promising scouted players who did not make the roster but were kept on reserve. The team owner, Mickey McBride, put them on the payroll of his taxi company, although they did not drive cabs.

As of , each NFL team may keep up to ten members on its practice squad in addition to the member main roster. A majority of those on a practice squad are rookie draft picks and undrafted free agents UDFAs who were cut in training camps. A practice squad also includes veterans, up to four as of the season. If the player was on the active list for fewer than 9 games during their "only accrued season s ", he maintains his eligibility for the practice squad.

Games in which a player is listed as the third-string quarterback a designation that has been abolished as of do not count as being on the active list. Practice squad players practice alongside regular roster players during the week, but they are not allowed to play in actual games.

Some practice squad players are paid considerably more, however. Practice squad players are free agents ; they can be signed to any team's man roster at any time during the season. In other words, NFL teams are free to "poach" other teams' practice squads without compensating the teams, with one exception: Many NFL players spent time on practice squads before finding success in the league, including James Harrison , Jason Peters , Danny Amendola , Danny Woodhead , Arian Foster and Kyle Cook.

The practice squad has also been used by the NFL and their teams as a way to bring in and train players from outside the United States or Canada, where gridiron football is not a popular sport.

The NFL has operated programs in which selected international players were assigned to teams' practice squads as an extra member who did not count towards a team's maximum practice squad size. The first, called the International Practice Squad Program, began operation in The rule allowing for an extra practice squad player of international origin, however, remained in the NFL's rulebook and teams attempted to use the rule even after the demise of the program.

A new program, the International Player Pathway, was created in This new initiative started as a trial involving only NFC South teams. Each team in the division was allowed to sign one international player to its practice squad who would not count against the normal player limit, but would not be eligible to be activated during the season after being signed.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 22, Retrieved 21 August Archived from the original on 11 September Retrieved May 27, Yard lines Hash marks Goal line Sidelines Line of scrimmage Field goal range.

NFL on Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

End zone Red zone Neutral zone Coffin corner Flat Gap Hole Pocket. Touchdown One-point conversion Two-point conversion Field goal Safety Single rouge. Fumble Interception Muffed punt Turnover on downs. First down Three-and-out Fourth down conversion Dead ball. Timeout Kneel Spike Time warnings 3 min. Clock management Running out the clock Untimed play Garbage time.

Carry Completion Rushing yards Passing yards Passer rating Total quarterback rating Reception Receiving yards Pass deflected Sack Return yards Total offense Yards after catch Yards from scrimmage All-purpose yardage Touchdown pass.

Two-A-Days Oklahoma drill Three-cone drill Film session. Official American , Canadian Chain crew Penalty Penalty flag Instant replay.

Error (Forbidden)

Ball Coaching tree Concussions Equipment 12th man Letterman Overtime Running up the score Touchdown celebration Gatorade shower Tuck rule Uniform number. Retrieved from " https: College sports in the United States American football terminology. Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in.

Views Read Edit View history. Navigation Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Wikipedia store. Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page. Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Wikidata item Cite this page.

Languages Deutsch Edit links. This page was last edited on 8 June , at Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Contact Wikipedia Developers Cookie statement Mobile view.

Lines Yard lines Hash marks Goal line Sidelines Line of scrimmage Field goal range.