I have received about 20 so questions from readers today asking if Pittsburgh Steelers rookie right guard David DeCastro can be placed on the PUP list to start the season instead of injured reserve.
I have posted about the rules of the PUP list several times before, but now is as good of time as any to recap them.
In order for a player to be eligible for what is called the in-season Reserve PUP list, a player must start training camp on what is called the Active PUP list. There is no exception to this rule.
Even if a player is injured during the first practice of training camp, he is no longer eligible for the Active PUP list and thus certainly not eligible for the Reserve PUP list. Once a player is removed from the Active PUP list in training camp, he is no longer eligible for the PUP list.
As an example, Rashard Mendenhall, Casey Hampton, Damon Cromartie-Smith and Max Starks all started training camp off on the Active PUP list and have since been removed. They are no longer eligible for PUP now. James Harrison and Jason Worilds also started training camp on the Active PUP and have yet to be removed from it. They are still eligible for the Reserve PUP list if they are not removed from the Active PUP list next week.
So next week the Steelers must make a decision as to whether or not to activate both Harrison and Worilds to the 53 man roster or place them on the Reserve PUP list, which means missing at least the first 6 weeks of the season.
I hope that clarifies it for everyone now. DeCastro must be placed on the injured reserve list or kept on the 53 man roster. PUP is not an option for him.
