Hi everyone! Thanks for submitting excellent questions for this week's Patscap Mailbag! Would love to hear from you for future editions, so make sure you check out the contact information at the bottom of the page.
Question from BSJ subscriber celtics2018 during Greg's Q&A on Friday: How does the (practice squad) work? It seems to me that a player can go from the 53-man roster to PS or a player has to be waived and then assigned to the PS. So could (Bill Belichick) waive someone like Bolden to keep say Webb and when Bolden isn’t picked up bring him back and more Webb to PS?
Answer: In order for a player to be placed on a team's practice squad after being on the team's 53-man roster, he has to first clear waivers. (For example -- Geneo Grissom was waived last November 9. He then cleared waivers and was signed to the Patriots practice squad on the 11th.) James Ferentz may be a better example of what will happen this weekend. Ferentz was waived by the Patriots on September 2, 2017. He cleared waivers the morning of September 3rd. Ferentz was then signed to the practice squad later that same afternoon. The previously mentioned "Bolden/Webb" scenario does not work, since Webb has to clear waivers first before he can be signed to the practice squad.
For a list of current Patriots eligible to be placed on the practice squad please see this piece from April. The piece also goes over all of the salary cap implications of running a practice squad.
Question from Twitter follower Rogercfr Could they start the year with just four wideouts?
Answer: Yes, but it says here that they will have five. (My guess is that the fifth wideout is a player not currently on the Patriots roster.) Ever since Matthew Slater was drafted, the minimum number of wide numbers that the Patriots have had on their Week 1 roster is five.
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Question from Twitter follower SeattlePatsFan Why has Wynn not been placed on IR? Any benefit to wait?
Question from Twitter follower Emmit Fitz-HumeWhat is the hold up placing Wynn on IR? Is the injury not that bad,or is their a $$$ reason?
Answer: By waiting until September 2 to place Wynn on IR, the Patriots give themselves the opportunity to designate Isaiah Wynn as a player to return later in the season if somehow the initial reports that he suffered a season-ending injury are incorrect. There is NO financial reason for the delay. Wynn's 2018 salary will remain at $480,000 if he is placed on IR. Wynn's rookie contract does not contain the split salary provision that lowers the player's salary if placed on IR or Reserve PUP.
Question from Twitter follower Junior Olivas Since we are talking about possibilities. Julius Thomas just announced retirement. He (is better than) Dwayne Allen. You think Allen gets cut and Pats kick tires on JT?
Answer: Veterans like Julius Thomas are about two weeks away from having their 2018 salary fully guaranteed via the termination pay clause. If they're willing to walk away now, doubtful that a new offer will change their mind.
Question from Twitter follower Shy Sullivan Do (you) think Michel goes on pup for ten games (because) we need him badly
Answer: Michel is ineligible to be placed on Reserve PUP. In fact, no current Patriot is.
Question from Twitter follower Scott Peterson Does a player have to merely be on the initial 53-man roster to be put in IR with the ability to return after 8 weeks? Or do they also have to be on the 53 man for Week 1? Thanks!
Answer: Yes to the first question. No to the second. Quoting the NFL - "A player who is 'Designated For Return' must have suffered a major football-related injury or non-football-related injury or illness after reporting to training camp and passing his preseason physical examination and must have been placed on the applicable Reserve List after 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day after the final roster reduction."
Question from BSJ subscriber lastexposfan What share of the available cap is attributable to the top 5 Pats contracts? Has that percentage changed much over time?
Answer: As you can see below, the percentage taken up by the 5 largest cap numbers on the 2018 roster is the highest since 2013.
- 2018 - 36.56 percent
- 2017 - 30.90 percent
- 2016 - 28.31 percent
- 2015 - 28.91 percent
- 2014 - 31.88 percent
- 2013 - 34.87 percent