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NFL training camps don’t open on the same day. Each team builds its schedule backward from its first preseason game. While most of the league doesn’t lace up until July 28, two teams already beat everyone else to the punch.
The Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers had their veterans report on July 22, the earliest report date of any franchise this summer. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the timeline, which gives both teams extra preparation before they face off in the Hall of Fame Game.
Cardinals and Panthers get early start ahead of Hall of Fame Game
The early report ties to the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, set for Aug. 6, inside Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Schefter tweeted, “Cardinals and Panthers become the first NFL teams to have their veterans report to training camp today. They meet in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 6.”
Since the Cardinals and Panthers were chosen for this opening game, the NFL gives them a head start on training camp so they have enough time to prepare. Arizona is the home team this year under their new head coach, Mike LaFleur.
Their offense features tight end Trey McBride, who just set the NFL single-season record for tight ends with 126 catches last year, while eight-time Pro Bowler Budda Baker anchors the defense. This will be Arizona’s sixth time playing in Canton. Just to recap, this tradition goes all the way back to the very first Hall of Fame Game in 1962.
Carolina last played in this game during their 1995 inaugural season, beating fellow expansion team Jacksonville. They enter camp following an NFC South title, with quarterback Bryce Young running the offense and coordinator Brad Idzik calling plays. Tetairoa McMillan also returns after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.
However, injuries disrupt the start of camp. Right tackle Taylor Moton starts on the non-football illness list due to a blood clot in his lung, while cornerback Jaycee Horn misses time with a foot injury but expects a quicker return.
The rest of the league doesn’t report until July 28, and the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, who meet in a Super Bowl rematch to open the regular season Sept. 9, open camp the following day.
For now, Arizona and Carolina hold the practice fields alone. Both teams prepare for their upcoming trip to Canton for Hall of Fame weekend, where Drew Brees, Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, and Adam Vinatieri will officially enter the Hall
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