Jets and Browns to play in annual Hall of Fame game to open 2023 NFL preseason
We have our first scheduled NFL game of 2023.
The New York Jets will play the Cleveland Browns to kick off the preseason in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 3 in Canton, Ohio, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Tuesday. Two days later, the 2023 class will be inducted, which will include Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and defensive lineman Joe Klecko, as well as Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas.
It's the first appearance for the Jets in the Hall of Fame game since 1992 and the first for the Browns since 1999.
By that time, the Jets will likely have picked their starting quarterback for the 2023 season. Although general manager Joe Douglas recently said the Jets “still feel strongly that [former No. 2 pick] Zach [Wilson] is going to be able to hit his ceiling,” the team has also been linked to several veteran quarterbacks this offseason, including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. The team is ripe with young talent on both sides of the ball including offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson, Defensive Rookie of the Year Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and running back Breece Hall.
The Browns, meanwhile, will go into their first full year with quarterback Deshaun Watson at the helm. Watson missed the first 11 games of the 2022 season after being suspended by the NFL and finished with one of the worst passer ratings in the league. Cleveland has gone so far as to consider restructuring Watson’s fully guaranteed deal he signed when he was traded to the Browns.
The last time these two faced each other— in Week 2 of the 2022 season — the Jets pulled off an improbable comeback win in the final two minutes on the shoulders of two Joe Flacco touchdowns. The Browns led by 13 points after a late Nick Chubb touchdown (which he later admitted he shouldn't have scored), to which the Jets responded with a quick 66-yard touchdown to Corey Davis, an onside kick and a game-winning pass to Wilson with less than 30 seconds left in the game.
