Rams Waive LB Josh Forrest From IR With Settlement

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2016/09/what_does_it_mean_when_an_nfl_player_is_waivedinju.html

What does it mean when an NFL player is waived/injured?
Updated on September 2, 2016 at 11:25 AM Posted on September 2, 2016 at 11:01 AM

By Dan Duggan

dduggan@njadvancemedia.com,

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

As NFL teams trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 by Saturday, most of the transactions this week will be described as “cuts.” But it’s not that simple.

There are different classifications for the ways a player can be removed from the roster. The difference between being waived and released is the most basic.

When a non-vested player (someone with less than four years of experience) gets cut, he is subjected to waivers, which gives every team 24 hours to claim him. The player becomes a free agent if he is not claimed on waivers. When a vested veteran is cut (released) in the preseason, he can immediately sign with any team.

Giants cut roster to 75

Giants cut roster to 75

The first round of roster cuts took place on Tuesday.

The designation waived/injured is a bit more complicated. The Giants cut three players this week with the waived/injured designation: Fullback Nikita Whitlock (foot), tight end Matt LaCosse (knee) and tight end Ryan Malleck (burner).

After doing some research and speaking to league sources, here are the key points about the waived/injured designation:

*Vested veterans can be put directly on injured reserve without being exposed to waivers. This is what the Giants did with fifth-year offensive lineman Byron Stingily, who was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday with a concussion.

*Up until the first cut-down day, which was Tuesday, injured non-vested players must be placed on waivers through the waived/injured designation before being placed on injured reserve. This prevents teams from stashing young players on injured reserve. Once a waived/injured player clears waivers, he reverts to the team’s IR.

*After the first cut-down day, teams can use the waived/injured designation or they can place a player directly on IR.

*NFL players receive 1/17th of their salary each week during the season. So, players on injured reserve receive 1/17th of their salary each week they’re on IR during the season.

But players may not receive their full salary while on IR because many non-vested players have split contracts. Players on split contracts will receive their full salary if they’re on the 53-man roster and a lower split if they’re on injured reserve. For a rookie making the league minimum, the difference would be 1/17th of $450,000 each week on the active roster and 1/17th of $330,000 each week on IR.

Analysis of roster moves

Analysis of roster moves

Bennett Jackson, Cooper Taylor among cuts.

*After a player is waived/injured, the player and the team have five days to agree to an injury settlement. An injury settlement is designed for a team to pay the player for the time he is expected to miss with the injury.

If a settlement is reached, the player becomes a free agent and can sign with another team immediately. If a settlement is not reached, the player goes on the team’s injured reserve. A player on IR can’t be waived until he passes a physical.

*In the case of a short-term injury, it’s typically in the best interest of both the team and the player to come to an injury agreement.

With a settlement, the team can pay a lump sum to cover the weeks the player will miss due to injury and then cut the player. If the player remains on the injured reserve, the team is responsible for paying his salary each week.

For the player, a settlement allows him to collect compensation for his injury while also immediately seeking opportunities with other teams.

*An injury settlement doesn’t automatically occur. If the player suffers a long-term injury, he would have little incentive to pursue an injury settlement. And if a player is in a team’s future plans, the team would likely keep the player on injured reserve.

Sometimes the sides just can’t reach a settlement. In those cases, the player would be placed on injured reserve and likely waived once he passes his physical.

*In the past, teams weren’t able to re-sign waived/injured players until the injury settlement time period plus six additional weeks passed. But a new rule instituted this preseason has reduced the waiting period to the injury settlement time period plus three additional weeks before a team can re-sign a played that was waived/injured.

What does this all mean for the Giants that were waived/injured?

LaCosse and Whitlock were waived/injured on Monday and have cleared waivers. They are facing prolonged absences, so odds are that they will remain on injured reserve this season.

Malleck, who was waived/injured on Tuesday, cleared waivers on Wednesday afternoon. Depending on the timetable for Malleck’s recory, he could be an injury settlement candidate. If Malleck and the Giants reach an injury settlement, he could sign elsewhere or return to the Giants, likely on the practice squad, after the settlement and additional three-week waiting period ends.

nittany ram wrote:

I thought Forrest looked like a nice prospect during preseason. I figured he was a lock to make the 53 man roster.

Now he’s been waived from the practice squad.

Shows what I know…

I thought the same thing. But, he hasn’t been waived from the Practice Squad. He was waived from the 53 man roster to IR and then given a settlement. Last year they just left him on IR. After a certain time, depending on the severity of the injury they can add him to the Practice Squad or 53 man roster. In the mean time, he is free to make a deal immediately with another club.