Posted by Chris Brown on October 21, 2014 – 1:59 pm

With C.J. Spiller placed on injured reserve – designated to return, or short term injured reserve, he will have the ability to return before the regular season is over, but not for much of it. Today, Oct. 21st is the first day that the clock starts on his possible return. Here’s how the timetable lays out under the short term I-R rules.

The short term I-R rules state the following.

A player who has been designated for return is ineligible to practice until six weeks have elapsed since the date he was placed on Reserve, and is not eligible to return to the Active/Inactive List until eight weeks have elapsed since the date he was placed on Reserve. The business day (prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time) that the player is placed on Reserve counts as the first day.

That means that Spiller will not be able to even practice with his teammates again until Wednesday Dec. 3rd in Week 14. Two weeks later if all goes well he could then be added back to the active roster on Dec. 16th and be eligible to play in Weeks 16 at the Raiders, and 17 at the Patriots.

This is a smart move by the club because if the Bills are still in the playoff hunt, they’ll be able to make use of Spiller in games that could very well be critical to qualify for the postseason the last two weeks of the year. Not to mention the fact that the other backs on the roster could sustain injuries of their own between now and then. Having the ability to bring Spiller back into the fold at the end of the season could prove valuable.

Tags: C.J. Spiller Posted in Inside the Bills