When Does Preseason Start In The NFL?

It’s never too early to start preparing for the NFL season. Here’s a look at when preseason games will start in 2019.

Introduction

Preseason is the time when NFL teams shake off the rust from the long offseason and prepare for the upcoming season. For fans, it’s a time to get reacquainted with their favorite team and players. But for most teams, preseason is about finding out which players can make the final roster and which ones will be cut.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at when preseason starts in the NFL.

What is the NFL Preseason?

The NFL preseason is a time when NFL teams play exhibition games before the regular season starts. These games are used to help teams evaluate players and decide who will make the final roster. The preseason starts in late August and continues through September.

Preseason Schedule

The National Football League preseason is the period each year during which NFL teams play several not-for-the-record exhibition games before the regular season. Beginning with the featured Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in early August, five weekends of preseason games are typically played in August and early September. The start of the preseason is intrinsically linked to the end of the previous season — it begins on the Thursday night 10 days after the final game of the prior season’s Super Bowl.

The NFL preseason should not be confused with the exhibition games played by most college football teams during late August and early September, which typically do not count towards their regular season record. Although these college exhibitions are also often called “preseason” games, they serve a very different purpose: to prepare each team’s roster for its upcoming competitive campaign while also providing additional opportunities for incoming freshmen and other new players to audition for a role on their team.

Preseason Games

In the National Football League (NFL), the preseason is the period each year when NFL teams play several not-for-the-record exhibition games before the regular season. Beginning with the featured Pro Football Hall of Fame game in early August, five weekends of exhibition games are currently played in the NFL preseason.

The start of the preseason is intrinsically linked to the end of the previous season. For most NFL teams, players report to training camp in late July, with practices beginning a few days later. Teams generally play four exhibition games during the preseason, with some teams opting to play only three. Exhibition games are typically played against other teams in their conference; for example, an AFC team would play another AFC team during the preseason.

When does Preseason Start in the NFL?

During the NFL preseason, each team plays four exhibition games. The preseason schedule usually starts the first week of August. However, the date of the first preseason game varies from year to year. The preseason schedule is usually released in April.

When is the First Preseason Game?

The first preseason game is typically played the first week of August. The NFL regular season typically starts the first week of September.

When is the Last Preseason Game?

The NFL preseason is the period each year during which NFL teams play several not-for-the-record exhibition games before the regular season.
The final week of the preseason is typically when starters for each team see the most playing time in order to prepare for the regular season. The last preseason game is commonly referred to as a “dress rehearsal” because starters play extended minutes.

Conclusion

It is difficult to say when the NFL preseason will start because the schedule has not been released yet. However, it is typically scheduled for late July or early August.