2014 NFL practice squad, rules, size, eligibility, salary

NFL teams can begin assembling practice squads beginning Sunday, Aug. 31 at noon ET. That is one day after final 53-man rosters have been established. As your New York Giants go about the business of assembling their practice squad let's go over the rules for who can and cannot be placed on the practice squad.

First, the NFL did expand practice squads eight to 10 players this season. The league also loosened some of the restrictions on who is and is not eligible. Practice squads, though, remain for young and inexperienced players trying to break into the league. Veteran players like Mario Manningham cannot be placed on a practice squad.

Here are the changes recently made by the league, directly from a statement by the NFL Communications Department:

First, a player must have a minimum of six games - up from the current three games - on a Practice Squad in order for that season to count as one of the player's three permissible seasons of Practice Squad service.

Second, each club will be permitted to sign a maximum of two Practice Squad players who have earned no more than two accrued seasons of free agency credit. Absent this exception, a player who has earned one or more accrued seasons would not be eligible for a Practice Squad unless the player spent fewer than nine games on a club's 46-player active list in each of his accrued seasons.

Other Practice Squad Notes

• Practice squad players can be cut at any time, and can also be signed by other teams at any time. If they are signed by another team, however, they must be placed on that team's 53-man roster.
• Practice squad players make a minimum of $6,300 per week and can be paid more at a team's discretion.