A method, network node and wireless device are disclosed. According to one aspect, a network node is configured to select between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation. The first mode of operation includes generating a first downlink control information (DCI) message having a first number of bits. The second mode of operation includes selecting or generating a second DCI message having a second number of bits less that the first number of bits in at least one of the following fields: a redundancy version (RV) field, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field and a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process field.