Until 2012, getting placed on the injured reserve list ended an NFL player’s season. Since then, however, the rules have changed drastically: nowadays, teams have the chance to bring up to two injured players back onto their active rosters following a minimum absence of eight weeks. Today, the New England Patriots handed out their first such designation of the year: they plan to reactivate cornerback Duke Dawson.
Dawson joined the Patriots as a second-round draft pick earlier this year. He showed plenty of promise as a slot cornerback early on during offseason workouts and training camp but in mid-August started to be limited by a hamstring injury.