When does the 2023 NFL preseason start?

The 2023 NFL preseason will commence in earnest with the always delightful Hall of Fame Game.

Not until we see guys who aren’t going to make an NFL roster play in a meaningless exhibition game in Canton, Ohio we will officially be onto the preseason, baby!

With the addition of a 17th regular-season game, we now only get three preseason games in the lead-up to the campaign … with the exception of two lucky franchises! What typically happens is the league will pick two teams who have a notable former player of theirs getting inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and make them play in the Hall of Fame Game. So who will that be?

This year’s Hall of Fame Game will be between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets. Kickoff from Canton, Ohio will be at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 3. Everybody else will play their first preseason game a week later. So add seven to 10 days to this, and you should be good.

2023 NFL preseason: When is the first game of the preseason taking place?

Although it is fairly uncommon to see teams from the same conference play each other in the preseason, it does occasionally happen, even when teams are slated to play in a game that counts at a later date in the fall. The reason it is Cleveland vs. New York is that former Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas and Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis were inducted into Canton on the first ballot.

The league does its best to try to mix it up to get two fanbases who haven’t been to Canton in a while all the more reason to go. Given how beloved Revis and Thomas were by their respective fanbases, you better believe Clevelanders and New Yorkers abound will make the trek to Canton. It is not that far for Browns fans at all, but it is a bit of a trip for those from New York or New Jersey.

Overall, there is some benefit to teams like the Browns and Jets getting to play a fourth preseason game in some capacity. Neither club made the postseason a year ago. With Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers still relatively new to their respective franchises, it means they will get to camp a tad earlier than expected and will be able to put in a bit more work to help bring the offense along.

Look for Canton to be chock full of rabid fans who root for AFC teams that are possibly on the rise.