The 2024 NFL season is rapidly approaching with rookies from 15 teams reporting to training camp by July 18. Ahead of training camp, here are answers to questions regarding the remaining key dates of this offseason.
What are key dates ahead of training camp?
Teams and players who received the franchise tag earlier this offseason will have until 4 p.m. ET Monday to agree on a long-term deal. This offseason, eight players had the franchise tag, which is a one-year deal worth the average of the top-five salaries at the player’s position over the past five years.
Of those eight players, only Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins failed to reach a contract extension with his team. Considering Higgins was holding out for a trade after being tagged, it’s unlikely he and the Bengals will agree to a new contract by Monday’s deadline.
When do rookies report to training camp?
On Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens will be the first team to welcome their rookies to training camp. Here’s when each team’s rookies will report:
July 16: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers
July 17: Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks
July 18: New York Jets and Washington Commanders
July 19: Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots
July 20: Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions
July 21: Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings
July 22: Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
July 23: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans
July 24: Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers
Information on where all AFC teams will host their training camp and more can be found here. NFC information is here.
When do veterans report to training camp?
On Wednesday, the Houston Texans will be the first team to have their veterans report to training camp. Here’s when veterans for every other team will report to training camp:
July 19: Chicago Bears
July 20: Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs
July 21: Green Bay Packers
July 23: Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders
July 24: Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers
When does the first preseason game start, and who’s playing in it?
The Chicago Bears and Houston Texans will play in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 1, as part of Enshrinement Week (ABC and ESPN).
It’s unclear whether starters will play in this matchup, but if they do, we’re in for quite a first-quarter quarterback duel between Houston’s C.J. Stroud and Chicago’s Caleb Williams.
Stroud, who led the Texans to the AFC divisional round last year, is coming off one of the greatest seasons by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Meanwhile, Williams — the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner — enters the NFL as arguably the most highly anticipated No. 1 overall draft pick in recent memory.
What are the most compelling preseason matchups?
Most teams will likely wait until the final week of the preseason to roll out starters for a dress rehearsal for the regular season. With that in mind, here are three matchups for the final preseason slate that should be on your radar.
Colts at Bengals (Aug. 22): Both teams barely missed the playoffs last season despite losing their starting quarterbacks for significant time. After losing former OC Brian Callahan to Tennessee as head coach this offseason, the Bengals are out to prove they’re still on the short list of Super Bowl contenders, while the Colts hope to solidify themselves as a dark-horse playoff threat.
No need to turn this game off after the first couple of drives, as each team boasts a backup quarterback worth watching. Jake Browning should be Cincinnati’s second-string QB again after posting a 4-3 record as a starter in 2023, throwing for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in that span. Joe Flacco, who revitalized his career with the Cleveland Browns last season before signing with Indianapolis this offseason, will likely take the majority of the reps for the Colts.
Vikings at Eagles (Aug. 24): This contest will likely feature one of the better backup quarterback matchups of the preseason between Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy and Philadelphia’s Kenny Pickett. McCarthy, a national champion at Michigan and the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is in the mix to be Minnesota’s Week 1 starter. However, he’ll have to outperform journeyman Sam Darnold in the preseason to secure the job.
Pickett, meanwhile. must hope he impresses enough in the preseason to earn a shot to be an NFL starting quarterback with another team. The 2022 first-round pick struggled mightily in two seasons with Pittsburgh before being traded to Philadelphia earlier this offseason for a 2024 third-round pick (No. 98) and two 2025 seventh-round picks.
Steelers at Lions (Aug. 24): Pittsburgh’s Justin Fields is another young quarterback aiming to get his career back on track after his original team, the Chicago Bears, cut ties with him this offseason. While his accuracy leaves much to be desired, Fields is one of the most dynamic rushing quarterbacks in the NFL. He probably won’t beat out Russell Wilson for the starting job.
When are the final roster cuts due?
Each team enters training camp with a maximum of 90 players on the roster. Teams have the option to cut players throughout the summer, but by 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 27, every organization must reduce its roster to 53 players. Additionally, the claim period for players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction expires at noon ET on Aug. 28.
When is NFL opening night?
The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, Sept. 5, at 8:20 p.m. ET in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game. The game will be broadcast on NBC.
The game will feature the two best quarterbacks in the NFL, but there hasn’t been much of a rivalry between these teams since Jackson and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes took over as starters. According to StatMuse, Mahomes is 4-1 against the Ravens in his career, with his lone loss coming in a 36-35 shootout in Baltimore during Week 2 of the 2021 season.
