Tight End Requirement Problems

[Charlie-49ers]

Watching most of the game replays each week, I have picked up on a potential problem with our running game, and some long passes!  So, what is the problem, since our runners are doing great you might say?  Well, here is the current breakdown of the teams with (A)ctive or (O)pen Tight Ends:  Six teams only have One (1); ten teams have Two (2); one team has Three (3) and one team has Four (4).  In this regard, first, none of the plays in the play pool allow WRs to be in a three-point stance at the snap of the ball.  Second, the game automatically replaces tired players, and in the case of receivers, a tired TE with no back-up is replaced by a WR.  As such, a tired TE on the OL with no back-up violates the play design by replacing him with a WR in a three-point stance.

Many of our run plays are designed with two and three TEs, and there are a lot of them with two TEs on the OL, both in a three-point stance.  Although the rule, as currently written, only requires one active TE, either (A) or (O), teams using some of the existing plays with two and three TEs automatically violate the play design, either accidently or on purpose.  BTW, some teams have an additional TE on the active roster, but they are (I)nactive!  Clearly, unless the owner with just one TE has made a concerted effort NOT to pick plays with more than one or two TE, these teams violate the letter of the rule weekly by virtue of the replacements during the game.  Ideally, teams should look at the plays that they use in the Play Editor, and if you see a WR in a three-point stance, you should either activate your additional TE if you have one, draft a FA TE, or not use the play in your plans.  BTW, the situation occurs most often in run plays, and eight-man blocking schemes with two WRs going out for passes.

I have been aware of this issue for awhile, which is why the 49ers have carried three active TEs for a while, and took it for granted that other teams did the same until it dawned on me this weekend watching the games.  I mistakenly thought that by increasing the HA of the TE a couple of seasons ago, and having many of the TE draftees better than the current TEs available, everyone would be on board with having at least two, if not three TEs.  Obviously, I was mistaken.

I will not require any changes now, but next season there will be a requirement that all teams carry a minimum of two active TEs (As) and or (Os), since that is much easier to review than seeing a one TE team is using certain plays.  Rich, you can put it in the rules now, but it will not take effect until the start of the next season.  Sorry guys and gal, but this is not a debatable issue.

[Rich-League Officer]

Logistically speaking, its not possible to check all the plans pre-game for plays using 2-3 TEs.
The only way is to demand all teams have 2 TEs ready to play on gameday.
It always has been the case, myself included that we dress far too many WRs.
Why does anyone need 6-7-8 WRs each week?
But in our league we have :
5 wrs = 2
6 wrs = 12
7 wrs = 3
8 wrs = 1

It seems heavy to me since we are not going 5 wide on each play. But maybe NFL teams are dressing that many.
I have no idea.

[Shawn-Giants]

Great observation and analysis Charlie, on this "Non Debatable" correction. I agree with everything you highlighted and implemented.

Here's a Link to an interesting case study done by bleacher report on gameday active rosters.

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https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1640782-the-anatomy-of-a-53-man-roster-in-the-nfl

I like how they mention each team is different though, beyond having rules, enforcing and policing them, we should remember once the minimum requirements are met, not to impose infractions or scoff at individual gamestyle/concepts approaches, it's what makes each team unique and allows strategic freedom.

It's a Great read and could help based off your observations and analysis, help keep the parameters in line within the NFL rule set and what works for the PNFL.

Here's some excepts:

Each club is different and how many players are kept at each position depends on the type of offense and defense each team plays.

If a club plays a 3-4 base defense, the team will keep more linebackers than defensive linemen. If a team does not have a strong-legged kicker, that club may keep two kickers on the roster. One player for field goals and the other to kick the football off. (Which can be accomplished in the PNFL game by creating your own special teams plays and assgining different kicker slots for those play scenarios.)

A majority of these decisions are made in July and August before any real football is played. But every preseason, players rise to the forefront and make coaches and personnel change their minds. For this article, I will break down a team that uses a base offense and 4-3 base defense. I will also use the premise of one kicker, one punter and one long-snapper.

Quarterbacks (2)

The hot trend the past couple of years in the NFL is to only dress two quarterbacks on game day. With most teams employing a wide receiver or running back to serve as the emergency third quarterback, there is no reason to dress more than two quarterbacks.

Now this number could jump to three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster if the third quarterback is a young talent the team is trying to hide from other teams or develop.

Teams may also keep three quarterbacks on the roster if the first two quarterbacks are injured or injury-prone.

Running backs (4)

With the NFL becoming a passing league, most teams still keep four backs on the 53-man roster due to injury history at the position. Most NFL teams employ a backfield by committee approach and most teams include a fullback in this number.

Special teams play a huge role in this number as well. Most running backs have speed and can be a force on special teams.

One of the best in the NFL is Jacksonville Jaguars running back Montell Owens. Though he is listed as a fullback now that Greg Jones has departed, Owens was seen as a special teams demon and Pro Bowl player. This increases his value and keeps him active on game day.

If a team like Jacksonville dresses a fullback for the game, it will probably dress three other running backs as well. The starter, the primary backup and a special teams player should all dress on game day.

Wide Receivers (6)

Most teams will keep six wide receivers on the active roster but will only dress five for the game unless the sixth player is a warrior on special teams. This allows the coaching staff to line up in four-wide formations without losing speed or talent.

Normally the top four wideouts will not play on special teams unless they are a returner like Baltimore’s Jacoby Jones. Rarely is one of the team’s top three wide receivers also the primary returner. That role is typically held by the fourth wide receiver or another position.

The sixth wide receiver on the roster will normally be inactive on game day and is either a talent the team wants to work with in the future or a high draft selection that needs work at the NFL level. Think of San Francisco wide receiver A.J. Jenkins.

Tight Ends (3)

Unless you are the Green Bay Packers, who at one point had five tight ends on the 53-man roster in 2011, most teams will keep three active tight ends. The typical breakdown is the starter, who is a threat in all phases of the game. The backup is usually a blocking tight end who is not much of a threat in the passing game. The third tight end is a hybrid type who can also help on special teams.

Almost always are all three players active on game day, and both the backup and third tight end will be expected to contribute on special teams. Some teams will keep four tight ends active if they do not incorporate a full back in their offense. Most NFL teams will keep a tight end on the practice squad to activate for game day in case of injury.


There's also talks of the current CBA including a 55 man roster.

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https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28901832/nfl-cba-approved-players-get-new-deal-how-expanded-playoffs-schedule-work

Here's some excerpts from that.

How about expanded rosters?

Yes. More jobs. That's another way the players benefit. The game-day active roster will increase from 46 to 48 players (although one of the extra players must be an offensive lineman, which will give teams more flexibility to have three extra linemen). Practice squads will expand from 10 players to 12 in 2020 and 2021 and to 14 starting in 2022. Practice-squad salaries also are going up -- the minimum salary is $8,000 per week in the current CBA, and it will rise to $11,500 by 2022 -- and those players will be eligible for 401(k) and tuition assistance benefits.

Two practice-squad players per week may be elevated to the team's roster, meaning game-week roster sizes could effectively increase from 53 to 55. And a player elevated from the practice squad to the 55-man roster could be sent back to the practice squad two times without having to clear waivers.

[Steve-LA Chargers]

Very simple explanation.

99% of FBPRO coaches will do the bare minimum. If you say no FBs required, these guys won't have FBs. If you say no Safeties, these guys will only use CBs. If you say 1 TE, these guys will only use 1 TE. Every time I reduced requirements for a position in the XFBS, most coaches in the XFBS shifted to the new minimum immediately. Same with play requirements in plans - most will only aim for the minimums and rarely send in full plans. News flash: most of the coaches in the XFBS are PNFL coaches too.

Historically, I built my teams with multiple TEs, but I decided this season to use the bare minimum because the roster rules allow for it and my salary cap challenges are forcing me to do it. My scout process doesn't involve looking at plays in the editor too much so no way I know if any of the plays I use have more than one TE or not. So long as the plays I pick enable me to focus on what I need to focus on for an opponent, they achieve the objective.

In a nutshell, if you want coaches to have more TEs to avoid WRs going into 3-point stances, you must make it a roster requirement in the rules. Most people will take the shortcuts you give them. It's up to you to allow those shortcuts or not.

[Steve-LA Chargers]

I'm in favor of requiring 2-3 TEs in the PNFL immediately if the current requirement is deemed negligently, unsatisfactory to achievement of league play design intentions. I'll even adjust my roster accordingly if there is a new mid-season requirement set. Otherwise, I will comply with the current rule of 1 TE to avoid making PS moves and hurting another position to stay under the cap.

The alternative is to create a new game plan rule that says something similar to this, "You can only use plays in your game plan if your roster meets the personnel design of those plays. Example: If you have only 1 TE A/O, you can only use spread passing offenses and running plays with one blocker near the OL. If you don't use FBs, you cannot use 30 numbered run plays. If you don't have 4 A/O HBs, you cannot use 60 numbered run plays. If you only have 1 DT A/O, you cannot use 43 defenses because these plays require 2 DTs between the DEs."

Basically, you'll need to decide what's the best way to set the expectation and enforce it.

[Rich-League Officer]

We cannot have a situation where IF you do this, you can't use these plays and IF you do this, you need to use these plays.
That is a nightmare for ME/Charlie and I won't do it. I am not checking game plans right now and have no intention of checking a teams roster makeup and then comparing it with his game plan that day.

So obviously we need to mandate teams carry and activate another TE and maybe even a 3rd. It's an offseason discussion though.
I am never in favor of new rules in season. Whatever perceived current advantage you think a team may have for carrying 1 TE, is also available to you as well.
I have always thought the TE, DT and S were routinely underserved on rosters. Coaches often use only the bare minimum in favor of extra WR, DE, CBs.

As for the FB, same idea applies. If you do not carry a FB, we are not going to police the game plan for plays designed for the FB.
So, perhaps we need to go back and demand teams carry and activate 1 FB each week.

[Charlie-49ers]

Yes, to get it out there before the Draft, and for people to start thinking about trading, I am thinking that the following need to be suited up for the game (A)ctive or (O)pen, but they can play, if a player gets tired:

Tight Ends = 2 (but will entertain arguments for three based on the above postings)
Safeties = 3 (but again, I will entertain arguments for four, which might help our passing game)
Defensive Tackles =2 (rules say one Active but two need to be suited up)
Fullbacks = ? (I am open to debate on this one. However, my guess is that the vast majority of NFL teams have at least one) If that is the case, the PNFL will require one next season also.