The NFL is back!*
*Sort of. Not really.
The Hall of Fame Gamekicks off the preseason each August or late July. It's an exhibition that allows backups and fringe roster members the chance to shine on a national broadcast in front of an audience thirsty to end its football drought. Granted, not all of that audience will make it to the end of a showdown between undrafted free agents and practice squad veterans, but it's still technically pro football. And, thus, a chance to overreact to a tiny sample size.
Last year, the Los Angeles Chargers pantsed the Detroit Lions, 34-7. Trey Lance outdueled Kyle Allen and Hendon Hooker in a game that didn't really tell us much about the then-upcoming regular season. But it did shed some light on a few players
who'd go on to starring roles when the games actually counted. Let's break them down.
Who played in the 2025 Hall of Fame game and went on to have a major regular season impact?
We saw the future of the Chargers' running back rotation in Canton last summer. Omarion Hampton only had two carries, but one was an encouraging eight-yard scamper. The bigger impact came from Kimani Vidal, who helped secure his place on the roster even after Los Angeles added Hampton in the first round of that spring's draft. He ran for 37 yards on nine carries, but found the end zone twice to herald his arrival as a viable RB1. After Hampton suffered an ankle injury, Vidal emerged with three different 100-yard performances to eventually lead the Chargers in rushing attempts and yards in 2025.
The Lions had fewer regular season contributors show up in the preseason opener. The most notable may have been Isaac TeSlaa, the third round rookie who'd earn six touchdown catches on only 27 targets in his debut. He had two catches for 46 yards on three targets.
Who played in the 2024 Hall of Fame game and had a major regular season impact?
While Collin Johnson's three-catch, two-touchdown performance made him the star of the night in the Chicago Bears' 21-17 win over the Houston Texans, this game was mostly littered with failed fantasy waiver-wire pickups. Guys like Cam Akers, John Metchie III, Roschon Johnson, Khalil Herbert, Dante Pettis, Xavier Hutchinson and many more took snaps on the offensive side of the ball.
Things were brighter when it came to the defense. Calen Bullock led the Texans with five tackles in his NFL debut. He was a Pro Bowl safety by year two. Tommy Townsend had a beautiful night, averaging better than 52 yards per punt... but when a punter is arguably the second-best-known player on the field, it's a pretty damning indictment of the quality of play on the field to open the preseason.
Who played in the 2023 Hall of Fame game and had a major regular season impact?
What better way to get people excited for the upcoming NFL season than a tilt between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns? This Zach Wilson-Kellen Mond shootout saw the Jets take a 13-0 lead before losing 21-16. Touchdown scorers included Israel Abanikanda, Demetric Felton, Austin Watkins Jr. and John Kelly Jr. Yep, those sure are Jets and Browns preseason players, all right.
Things were better on the defensive side, and not just because they had to be. Bryce Huff had a sack, portending his 2023 breakthrough (10 sacks, 10 tackles for loss). Jamien Sherwood had five tackles, laying the foundation for what would eventually become a starting role in the middle of New York's defense. Alex Wright had a pair of tackles, establishing himself as a useful piece of Cleveland's pass rushing rotation. Those aren't names that would help your fantasy team all that much, but they still blossomed into solid NFL players nonetheless.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Did anyone from last year's Hall of Fame game turn into an NFL star?
