NFL Expanded Rosters Discussed by Patriots President Jonathan Kraft

The days of a 53-man NFL roster may soon be coming to a close. New England Patriots president Jonathan Kraft appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub before Sunday's game against Washington and said the NFL may consider roster expansion.

"I think something like that makes sense," Kraft said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "The discussion of roster expansion and the [injured reserve] rules; the IR rules, I believe we can do on our own [without collective bargaining]. A couple of years ago, we made that change where you can go on IR/designated to return—one player is allowed to do that."

The NFL currently allows teams to keep 53 players on their active roster and up to 10 on their practice squad. Forty-eight of the 53 players officially dress on game day. Players who are put on injured reserve do not apply to that 53-man limit, but players who are out of the lineup due to a non-season-ending injury do.

Kraft indicated roster expansion would have to be collectively bargained and may be tied to an expansion of the regular-season schedule:

"

It might not be a bad idea, and in general, expanding the roster as we look at our schedule makeup and the practice rules, all of that can come into being. And I think as we look at that, the report earlier this year that we can go to 18 [regular-season games] and two [preseason games] but expand the roster ... I think those are all things that are probably going to be discussed over the years, and my guess would be coalesced around when the next CBA negotiation happens.

"

Regular-season expansion has been one of the major pushes for Commissioner Roger Goodell. It's an obviously shrewd way of expanding the NFL's revenue pie while eliminating two preseason contests, which are widely criticized by players, coaches and fans. Critics of a regular-season expansion say it would only put players in further risk of injury and potentially dilute the product.

Adding roster spots would do nothing to assuage those concerns, but it would add a ton of jobs for players hanging on the fringes of the NFL. It's worth noting that most of the NFLPA contingent is made up of those mid-tier players; their sway in collective bargaining cannot be discounted. 

As it stands, it's unlikely we see much of a change for the foreseeable future. The NFL's current CBA runs through 2020 and does not have an opt-out clause. It's theoretically possible that the NFL and NFLPA sit down and discuss additional roster spots before the new CBA runs out.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter