What Does “Taxi Squad” Mean On a Football Team and Where Did the Phrase Come From?

A “taxi squad” is made up of those professional football players who are under contract but not dressed for a game.

They are four extra players beyond the roster limit who are only eligible to play on short notice as a substitute for an injured player if the team is shorthanded.

The name “taxi squad” originated with the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns.

When the team couldn’t put all its players on the forty-man roster, they found these extra players work as part-time taxi drivers.