Training camp is over and one preseason game is in the books. Teams are beginning to sort out their rosters and get a better idea of who are the obvious cuts and who are the obvious keepers.

In between those sides, though, are the practice squad players. The ones that aren’t necessarily ready to make the final 53-man roster, but you want to see stick around and develop further. But how does a player get assigned to the practice squad and what are the rules surrounding that move?

Number of practice squad players

First is just how many players a team can sign to the practice squad. This offseason, the NFL and NFLPA approved an increase in that number.

Good job between #NFL & #NFLPA to approve 10 person practice squads for '16/'17. Teams allowed for 4 of those 10 to have 2 accrued seasons — Mark Dominik (@MarkdominikESPN) June 16, 2016

It used to be that teams could only have eight players, so the increase is pretty significant. It also allows NFL franchises to keep players they want to stash for later and hopefully develop into starters.

Eligibility

Not every player is eligible for the team’s practice squad. It’s limited to players who were on an active roster for fewer than six games, or were on the 45-man active gameday roster for fewer than nine games.

In addition to the increase in how many players can go on the practice squad, the league upped franchises’ ability to keep more experienced players. Teams are now allowed four players on the practice squad to have two accrued seasons. That allows capable players to continue to develop under the NFL banner and teams to keep guys that they have a plan for.

In order to actually make it to the practice squad, a player has to clear waivers first. That means that after being cut by their original team, all 32 teams are allowed to put in a waiver claim on them. If they make it through that process, they can be signed to the practice squad. This makes some moves a little tough as a team might want to send someone to the practice squad, but they know other teams will grab them before they can clear waivers, ultimately stealing the player.

Paycheck

Being on the practice squad might not earn players “baller status,” but it can lead to a pretty good living while trying to get to the next level. In 2016, practice squad members can make no less than $6,900 per week. Meaning that a full 16-game season would earn a player $110,400.

On the flip side of that is little security due to there being no contract. A player can be released with no financial repercussions for the team. So what can be a good paycheck can quickly become no paycheck.

Signing to the 53-man roster

Players can go from the practice squad to a 53-man roster at any time, assuming that there is space for them there. That even goes to other teams. If another team has space on their 53-man roster, they can sign a practice squad player. A practice squad player cannot be signed to another practice squad unless he is released first.