Cincinnati Bengals Place Nine on PUP and three on NFI

In a flurry of roster moves on Monday, as the team prepares for training camp this week, the Cincinnati Bengals announced that they've placed nine players on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list.

They include cornerback Leon Hall (Achilles), defensive tackle Geno Atkins (knee), offensive guard Clint Boling (knee), punter Kevin Huber (neck), defensive tackle Devon Still (back), wide receiver Ryan Whalen (hamstring), linebacker Marquis Flowers (hamstring), defensive tackle Zach Minter (back) and wide receiver Colin Lockett. All nine players count against the team’s roster limit and can be activated to practice as soon as they are medically cleared.

In addition, the Bengals placed wide receiver Marvin Jones (ankle), cornerback Onterio McCalebb (knee) and quarterback A.J. McCarron (shoulder) on the team's Active/Non-Football Injury list. All three count against the team's roster limit and can be activated for practice as soon as they are medically cleared.

Active/PUP relates to players being unable to start training camp with a football-related injury -- Active/NFI is related to an injury that's non-football related. There are no rules governing them to sit out of practice for any amount of time. Once they are medically cleared, they're allowed to practice that moment. At this point, every mention of PUP that you're seeing pop up around the NFL, refers to the Active/PUP. It's the less catastrophic Armageddon version, but it enables players to eventually become eligible for the other PUP list (which benefits teams with players still recovering).

Then there's the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List. If by the end of the preseason a player isn't medically cleared yet, he can be transferred to the Reserve/PUP, which prevents that player from playing and practicing during the first six weeks of the season -- however that player doesn't count against the 53-man roster. If the player isn't activated after the sixth week, the team has a three-week window to make a decision (injured reserve, release, activation).