The 2024 preseason schedule starts Thursday, August 1 when the Bears and Texans play in a nationally-televised (ABC & ESPN; 8PM ET) game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton during the annual Enshrinement Weekend.
The Bears and Texans were selected to play this game because they have team alumni who are members of this year’s Hall of Fame Class.
Former WR Andre Johnson, the Texans’ first alum to be enshrined in Canton, was a 7-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL twice (2008-09) in receptions and receiving yards.
The Bears have three alumni who are members of this year’s Hall of Fame Class. Devin Hester holds the league record with 19 career regular season touchdown returns (14 punt returns, 5 kickoff returns). Steve McMichael, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, had seven seasons with at least eight sacks. Julius Peppers, who played with the Bears four seasons (2010-13) after being the Panthers first round draft choice in 2002, was a nine-time Pro Bowler and named to the NFL’s All Decade Team of the 2000s.
The Bears will be playing for the sixth time in this Annual Hall of Fame series while the only previous time the Texans played in Canton was in their inaugural 2002 season. The Bears last year won five of their last eight games while the Texans impressed by being crowned AFC South champions.
All 32 teams will play the following weekend (August 8-11). The complete 2024 preseason schedule is here.
Preseason games may not have been important in the development of future Hall of Famers but we all know former teammates who survived final roster cuts because they played well in preseason stints.
We at NFL Alumni hope that next Thursday’s game is the start to a safe and productive preseason for the players on all 32 teams.
