The 2023 NFL preseason officially begins with the annual Hall of Fame Game. This year’s Hall of Fame class is honored during halftime, and it is the first NFL game action fans get to see since the Super Bowl when the Kansas City Chiefs took down the Philadelphia Eagles. This year’s Hall of Fame Game will feature the New York Jets taking on the Cleveland Browns, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh notably said that starters wouldn’t be playing, so second-year corner Sauce Gardner gets the night off.
Zach Wilson will play Thursday night vs Browns, per Saleh. Starters not playing. Lots of young players. #jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) July 30, 2023
Gardner was drafted with the fourth overall pick out of Cincinnati in the 2022 NFL Draft. He went on to play in every regular season game a season ago and finished with 75 total tackles. Gardner had two interceptions for a combined 19 yards and 20 passes defended. He won the 2022 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, the first Jets player to do so since Sheldon Richardson in 2013.