When the NFL schedule got here out in Might, the Cleveland Browns have been omitted from any primetime video games. Come to consider it, the franchise wasn’t concerned in any contests within the worldwide collection as nicely.
These video games are being performed in varied international locations akin to England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, and, for the primary time, in Australia and France.
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(Picture by Billie Weiss/Getty Photographs) Getty Photographs
Every membership will play three preseason video games aside from the 2 groups collaborating within the annual Corridor of Fame Recreation in Canton, Ohio, in the course of the Corridor of Fame induction weekend. This yr, it’s the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers who’ve the additional recreation. Each golf equipment have gamers who’re being inducted.
The Panthers and Cardinals will play 4 preseason contests as a substitute of three. When the NFL common season schedule finally goes to 18 video games, that quantity will seemingly drop to 2 exhibition video games.
Getting in an additional observe recreation?
What many golf equipment are doing is combining observe periods with one other membership for per week after which having a number of dwell motion practices in full pads with full contact. That is thought of the brand new norm for a further observe recreation. As soon as the preseason video games are lower to 2 contests, it could turn out to be an annual affair for groups to schedule observe weeks with two golf equipment as a substitute of only one.
Of us query why the NFL has preseason video games in any respect. The explanations are many.
For one, rookies want dwell recreation conditions to gauge the brand new degree. Secondly, new gamers that arrive on the roster want the time to get acclimated to a brand new playbook in addition to new teammates. Thirdly, when a brand new head coach is employed, as is the case in Cleveland, invariably new schemes are applied on either side of the ball, typically with completely different terminology.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) fumbles as he’s sacked by Cleveland Browns security Grant Delpit (9) (Picture by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs) Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs
The gamers want the observe time, and the coaches have to see who’s catching on and who’s lagging behind. #4, all groups in any respect ranges want observe video games earlier than a season begins. They only do. And eventually, the coaches have to know who to chop and who to maintain. Stay video games provide an enormous glimpse into which gamers needs to be retained.
Right here is the total nationwide 2026 TV preseason schedule:
Aug. 6: Corridor of Fame Recreation – Panthers vs. Cardinals (NBC), 8:00 pm (Japanese)
Aug. 20: Raiders at Texans (ESPN), 8:00 pm (Japanese)
Aug. 23: Seahawks at Titans (FOX), 8:00 pm (Japanese)
Aug. 27: Patriots at Browns (Prime Video), 8:00 pm (Japanese)
Aug. 28: Bengals at Eagles (CBS), 8:00 pm (Japanese)
Browns historical past in preseason
A very long time in the past, groups would play one another at impartial websites. The concept was to unfold the message of the league’s existence into areas that won’t have thought of taking over an NFL workforce as their favourite sports activities workforce and hopefully, generate some new followers on TV and radio broadcasts.
Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown on sidelines (Picture by Hy Peskin/Sports activities Illustrated by way of Getty Photographs) (SetNumber: X6362)
The thought course of was that if an NFL workforce performs a preseason recreation in a metropolis in proximity to their house stadium, then maybe these of us would undertake them as “their NFL team” and purchase new followers.
The Browns performed in fairly a couple of different cities constantly in the course of the preseason over the franchise’s historical past.
Of their 4 years within the All-America Soccer Convention from 1946 to 1949, Cleveland performed seven preseason video games mixed. When the Browns entered the NFL in 1950, the established league was taking part in 5 preseason video games every year. That rose to 6 video games, after which in 1978, it was lower to 4 preseason video games and eventually three starting in 2021.
In 1954, the Browns performed their first neutral-site preseason recreation after they confronted the Detroit Lions in Dallas, Texas. The Metropolis of Dallas had the Dallas Texans in 1952, however that franchise was a whole catastrophe and folded. Later, in 1960, the Dallas Texans of the American Soccer League and the Dallas Cowboys have been born. The AFL Texans received the AFL league crown after which relocated to Kansas Metropolis in 1963 and have been renamed the Chiefs.
Cleveland additionally performed the Faculty All-Stars 4 instances in Chicago, Illinois, in an exhibition recreation (1951, 1955, 1956, and 1965). On the time, the reigning NFL champs performed a single recreation towards the very best incoming faculty athletes in a contest entitled the “Chicago Charities College All-Star Game.” The proceeds from the sport went to chose Chicago-area charities. Paul Brown coached the primary three Browns squads, whereas the 1965 Browns rendition was headed by Blanton Collier.
The Browns performed the San Francisco 49ers in Portland, Oregon, within the 1960 preseason. That is notable as a result of it grew to become the ultimate season that Cleveland had something on the facet of their helmets, as they sported participant jersey numbers on every helmet facet panel. It was additionally the primary time that the Oreo stripes appeared.
In 1962, the Browns and 49ers convened for one more recreation in Portland as San Fran was attempting to realize a fanbase on this Northwestern metropolis.
Different non-NFL cities the Browns participated in a preseason recreation embody Birmingham, AL (1966), Seattle, WA (1969), Memphis, TN (1970), South Bend, IN (1971), Ann Arbor, MI (1972), Columbus, OH, and Knoxville, TN (1973), Tampa Bay and Columbus (1974), Stillwater, OK (1976), Milwaukee, WI (1987), Montreal, Quebec (1988), London, England (1989), and once more in Milwaukee (1990).
The Cardinals performed the New York Soccer Giants to a 21-21 tie within the first-ever Corridor of Fame Recreation in 1962. It was the primary occasion created to assist elevate funds and rejoice the groundbreaking of the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame being inbuilt Canton.
Browns’ working again Terry Kirby (prime) launches himself over the objective line to attain Cleveland’s first landing towards the Dallas Cowboys within the first quarter of the AFC-NFC Corridor of Fame Recreation 09 August 1999 on the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame discipline at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio. AFP PHOTO/David MAXWELL (Picture by DAVID MAXWELL / AFP) (Picture credit score ought to learn DAVID MAXWELL/AFP by way of Getty Photographs) AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Corridor of Fame Video games that included Cleveland have been in 1967 towards the Philadelphia Eagles, 1981 versus the Atlanta Falcons, and so they met the Dallas Cowboys in 1999 because the very first recreation because the New Browns.
The primary contest held in Columbus, Ohio, was between the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Browns and held on August, 19, 1973. The next yr, the identical groups competed in one other exhibition recreation on September 1, 1974. It appeared this might turn out to be an annual preseason occasion in close by Columbus as an Ohio-type battle confrontation, however the collection grew to become a two-game affair.
Oftentimes, a neighborhood TV station like Channel 5 will present the preseason video games regionally. Sports activities bars are the very best guess to search out out if any of the opposite Cleveland preseason video games are being featured, aside from these uncommon primetime video games, which Browns followers from throughout can partake.
Browns’ full preseason schedule:
Aug. 15 (Saturday): at Chicago Bears, 1:00 pm (Japanese)
Aug. 22: (Saturday) Buffalo Payments, 1:00 pm (Japanese)
Aug. 27: (Thursday) New England Patriots, 8:00 pm (Japanese) on Prime Video
