Thomas
INDIANAPOLIS — The Browns’ 2023 preseason will get an early start thanks to Joe Thomas’ induction into the Hall of Fame this year. They will play the Jets on Aug. 3 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton in the Hall of Fame game. The game is at 8 p.m.
Tickets for the 2023 Hall of Fame Game go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. today. Fans can learn more about the matchup and purchase tickets at profootballhof.com/tickets.
It will be the first appearance by the Browns in the game since they made their return to the league in 1999, a 20-17 win over the Cowboys. The Jets will appear in the game for the first time since beating the Eagles, 41-14, in 1992.
The Browns also appeared in the game in 1963, 1967, 1981 and 1990.
The Browns will play four preseason games in 2023 instead of the normal three. The Browns and Jets will also meet in the regular season.
The choice is not a surprise with Thomas being inducted along with former Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko and cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Other inductees are cornerback Ronde Barber, head coach Don Coryell, linebacker Chuck Howley, cornerback Ken Riley, linebacker Zach Thomas and linebacker DeMarcus Ware.
The game is the kickoff of a weekend of festivities culminating with the induction ceremony at noon Aug. 5 and wrapping up with a concert by the Zac Brown Band on Saturday night.
Playing in the game means the Browns can report to training camp earlier. Teams starting their regular season on Thursday or Sunday report 47 days prior to their opening game, and teams opening the season on Monday night report 48 days prior.
For teams in the Hall of Fame game, however, veteran players, other than quarterbacks, report no sooner than 15 days prior to the Hall of Fame game with rookies’ and quarterbacks’ earliest report date seven days prior to that.
An earlier camp report date could also impact the team’s offseason program as head coach Kevin Stefanski navigates when he wants players to report for training camp and how much time he wants to give them off before they do.
It’s worth noting that last year, while the Raiders reported early — rookies July 18 and veterans July 20 — the Jaguars had everyone report July 24, only two days earlier than most teams on a normal schedule.
