Darrelle Revis, Dwight Freeney and Joe Thomas headline the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 list of eligible first-year semifinalists.
James Harrison and offensive lineman Jahri Evans round out the five players eligible for the first time since retiring five years ago after the 2017 season.
The five players are among the 28 modern-era semifinalists, pared down from 129 nominees. The list will get pared down to 15 finalists.
Henry Ellard (1998) and London Fletcher (2013) are both semifinalists for the first time. Ellard and Albert Lewis are in their final year of eligibility as modern-era players.
Revis played 11 seasons with four different teams (New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs) from 2007-17. While his career total of 29 interceptions was not eye-popping, the man policed his coverage area known as “Revis Island” where opposing quarterbacks often tried to avoid.
Thomas made Pro Bowls in each of his first 10 seasons from 2007-16 while spending his 11 years with the Cleveland Browns. He did not miss a snap, let alone a start, in any of his first 167 career games until suffering a torn triceps that ended his final campaign in 2017.
Harrison finished with 84.5 sacks and was a five-time Pro Bowl selection.
The full list of semifinalists:
Eric Allen
Jared Allen
Willie Anderson
Ronde Barber
Anquan Boldin
Henry Ellard
Jahri Evans
London Fletcher
Dwight Freeney
James Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Devin Hester
Torry Holt
Andre Johnson
Albert Lewis
Robert Mathis
Darrelle Revis
Steve Smith Sr.
Fred Taylor
Joe Thomas
Zach Thomas
Hines Ward
Ricky Watters
Reggie Wayne
Patrick Willis
Darren Woodson
–Field Level Media