Should NFL rosters increase with an 18 game schedule?

Extending the NFL season by one game would be an awesome idea, right? Maybe. Maybe not. In April, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the potential of an 18-game NFL season on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. Goodell brought up the idea of eliminating an additional preseason game in order to extend the season, but that player safety would be a priority in making that decision.

“The key thing for us is looking at making sure we continue to do the things that make our game safer,” Goodell said. “Seventeen games is a long season, so we want to make sure we look at that and make sure that we continue the safety efforts.”

Is this “business-speak”, or is player safety actually the priority for Goodell? Can there be an 18-game season with player safety at the top of mind? Those are the types of questions that need to be asked when talking about the possibility of extending the NFL season.

But what makes the conversation even more interesting is the possibilities of what comes with an 18-game schedule, and a real possibility that includes larger NFL rosters. And with larger NFL rosters come a lot of interesting conversations.

Larger NFL rosters are inevitable with an 18-game season, but is that necessarily a good thing? Of course, there are benefits, but there are downsides that come with this potential change too.

The Good

Increasing NFL roster sizes is beneficial to player safety and the quality of the game

One way to ensure player safety is top-of-mind with an 18-game season is with increased roster sizes. This would allow teams to have much deeper rosters, and can at least allow teams to rotate more players onto the field. In theory, this would alleviate some of the wear and tear, since they may not have to play as many snaps per week with more player options. This would especially be beneficial on defense, where defensive coordinators are consistently rotating their personnel.

Another benefit is providing more NFL opportunities for college football players, UFL players, and Canadian football players. Unfortunately, with only 53-man rosters, it’s extremely difficult for many football players to even have a shot in the NFL.

According to NFL Football Operations, only 1.6% of all NCAA football players make it to the NFL. So, out of the approximately 30,722 NCAA football players each year, just over 490 players will actually make it to the league every year through the NFL Draft and as undrafted free agents.

Many of these players in these leagues and in college are deserving of a spot, too. With the recent emergence of other professional football leagues like the XFL, we have seen players receive a second chance and eventually make it to the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys are the perfect example, with kicker Brandon Aubrey, who made the Pro Bowl in 2023, and KaVontae Turpin. With more roster space, there would be even more stories like this.

Finally, there’s actually a chance that viewership could increase. It sounds crazy to think about it, but there’s a chance. With more football players coming specifically from the NCAA, it could convert more college football fans that don’t regularly watch the NFL, to watch more. Seeing more of their favorite college football players playing on Sunday could actually have a financial benefit.

The Bad

Larger roster sizes could mean a decrease in player contracts and talent quality

Simple math says that larger roster sizes could mean smaller contracts for NFL players. Yes, with an extra game the NFL and its teams would be making more money, but it would likely balance itself out with the difference the organizations have to pay to hold larger roster sizes.

This might make rotational player roster contracts smaller as there’s more depth in the NFL. We may not see drastic increases in NFL contracts, as teams prioritize having a more complete roster over paying their stars. The salary cap may also hurt teams’ ability to sign outside free agents with more players on the books.

The other part of larger roster sizes is the decrease in the level of quality NFL players that are on the field. Even with the current framework of the NFL, there are clear deficiencies in offensive and defensive line depth in the NFL.

Many teams are often in need of improving in the trenches due to the lack of quality play they can get. Even further, if you look at the QB position, there’s not even 32 quarterbacks that are worth starting in the NFL.

While there will be outliers who prove that they are worthy of an opportunity in the NFL, there is some risk attached to this to decreasing the quality of talent.

Final Decision

Increasing roster sizes with an 18-game schedule is worth the potential risks

Despite the possibility of a decrease in the quality of NFL talent and decreased player contracts, it’s worth increasing NFL roster sizes if the league decides to extend the season to 18 games. Currently, every NFL team is allowed 16 players on their practice squad, which are NFL-worthy players who can be elevated to play in a game at any point in the season.

The NFL could thrive by adding these 16 players to the active roster, letting them rotate into the game without needing to go through the elevation process. This could also be beneficial if an unexpected injury occurs mid-game. Every NFL team would have ample depth to be able to replace the player properly.

As older players fade out, more and more players from leagues like the UFL are heading to the NFL each year. Expanded rosters would allow older players to continue playing until a later age if they would like, while former UFL players could receive their opportunity to play on the big stage.

Expanding rosters would make Goodell’s statement about player safety true, as NFL teams could keep their players fresh and be prepared for an injury at any time. An 18-game season has flaws, but if it becomes a reality, so do expanded NFL rosters.

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