
Originally Posted by
Butler By'Note
They can't actually take him off until after game 8. The 21 day window for practicing isn't connected to when he has to come off of IR. In theory a team could remove a player from IR without him having practiced once, as long as the player has missed 8 games minimum and they have an activation slot left.
The 21 day window essentially buys the team a roster exemption because the player is practicing but doesn't count against the 53 man roster. Once they start the 21 day window going the player must either be activated during that window or the player is lost to IR for the remainder of the season.