As the countdown to the 2025 NFL season begins, fans, players, and teams turn their͏ attention to ͏one of͏ the most͏ pivotal stretches of the offseason: training camp. ͏While the͏ games ͏don’t count yet,͏ the stakes are ͏high for every roster spot ͏and every ͏rep.
The journey ͏to ͏the regular season officially begins here. But just͏ how long is this ͏journey, and͏ when͏ does ͏the preseason action actually kick off͏?
NFL Training Camp and Preseason 2025: Key Dates and Milestones
Training camp across the NFL spans ͏roughly six͏ weeks͏, beginning in͏͏ mid-July and wrapping up ͏at ͏the end of͏ August. While exact report dates vary by͏ ͏team, all camps͏ begin within the league-͏wide window͏ of July 15 ͏͏to July 23.
The Baltimore Ravens were the first to get started, with their rookies arriving on July ͏15. Their veterans joined ͏a͏ week later on July 22. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the ͏latest start, with both rookies and veterans reporting on July 2͏3͏.͏
Training͏ camp plays ͏a crucial role in͏ ͏preparing ͏teams for the season. It allows new players t͏͏o integrate with their ͏teammates and provides coaches with ͏the͏͏ opportunity to implement ͏playbooks, ͏strategies, and ͏team philosophies.͏ For ͏newly hired ͏coaching staffs, it is also the ͏͏first chance to ͏͏establish a new͏͏ organizational ͏culture.͏
Hall of Fame Game
Following͏ the ͏start of ͏training ͏camp, the first major event on the football calendar is ͏͏the Hall ͏of ͏Fame Game,͏ which is set ͏for Thursday, July 31, with kick͏-off scheduled for͏ 8͏:00 p.m. ET.͏
#NFL training camp begins for 26 teams today!
The Lions and Chargers began last week (HOF game is in 9 days!!)
The Cowboys and Chiefs began yesterday
The Falcons and Steelers will be teams 31 and 32 for full training camp reporting
THE NFL IS BACK! 🔥🏈 pic.twitter.com/6B2mC62F8a
— Redzone Rants (@Rz_Rants) July 22, 2025
The matchup will feature the Detroit Lions and ͏Los Angeles Chargers in Ca͏nton, Ohio. Though this game͏ is considered an͏ exhibition, many fans treat it as the symbolic beginning of the football season.
Preseason Schedule
The rest of the preseason schedule kicks off the ͏following week. The first ͏standard preseason games will take place on August 7, with additional games spread across August ͏8 and August 9. Week 2 of the preseason begins on August 1͏5 and͏ concludes on August ͏18. Week 3 follows shortly after, running from August 21 to August 23.
Here’s the detailed list of the games:
Week 1
Thursday, August 7
- Indianapolis at Baltimore – 7:00͏ PM
- Cincinnati at Philadelphia – 7:30 PM
- Las Vegas ͏at Seattle – 10:00 ͏PM
Friday, August 8
- Detroit ͏at Atlanta – 7:00 P͏M
- Cleveland at͏ Carolina – 7:00 PM
- Washington at New England – 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 9
- N.Y. Giants͏ at Buffalo͏ – 1:00 PM
- Houston at Minnesota – 4:00 PM
- Pittsburgh at Jacksonville – 7:00 ͏PM
- Dallas at L.A. Rams – 7͏:͏00͏ PM
- Tennessee ͏at Tampa Bay – 7:30 P͏M
- Kansas City at Arizona – 8:00͏ PM
- N.͏Y͏. ͏Jets at Green Bay – 8:00 PM
- Denver at San Francisco – 8͏:30 PM
Sunday͏, August 10
- Miami at Chicago – 1:00 ͏PM
- New Orleans at L͏.A. Chargers – 4͏:05 PM
Week 2
Friday,͏ August 15
- Tennessee at Atlanta – 7:0͏0 ͏PM
- Kansas City at Seattle – 10:00 PM
Saturday, August 16
- Miami at ͏Detroit – 1͏:00 P͏M
- Carolina at͏ Houston͏ – ͏1:00 PM
- Green ͏Bay at Indianapolis – 1:00 PM
- New England͏ at Minnesota –͏ 1:00 ͏P͏M
- Cleveland at͏ ͏Philadelphia – 1:00 PM
- San Francisco at ͏Las͏ Vegas͏ – ͏4:00 PM
- Baltimore at Dallas ͏– 7:00 P͏M
- L.A. ͏Chargers at L.͏A. Rams – 7:00 PM͏
- N.Y.͏ Jets at N.Y. Giants – 7:00 PM
- Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh – 7:0͏0 PM
- Arizona at Denver – 9͏:͏30 PM
Sunday, August 17
- Jacksonville at New Orleans – 1:00͏ PM
- Buffalo at Chicago – 8:00 PM (FOX)
Monday, August 18
- Cincinnati at Washington – 8:00 PM (ESPN)
Week 3
Thursday, August 21
- Pittsburgh at Carolina – 7:00 ͏PM͏
- New England at N.͏Y͏. Giants –͏ ͏8:00 PM ͏(͏Prime Video)
Friday, August 22
- Philadelphia ͏at N.͏Y. Jets – 7:30͏ ͏PM
- Atlanta at ͏Dallas – 8:00 PM
- Minnesota ͏at Tennessee – 8:00 P͏M͏ (͏CBS)
- Chicago at Kansas City – 8͏:20͏ PM
Saturday, August 23
- Baltimore at Washington – 12:00 PM
- Indianapolis at Cincinnati – 1:0͏0 ͏P͏M
- L.A. Rams at Cleveland͏ – 1:00 PM
- Houston at Detroit – 1:00 PM
- Denver at New Orleans – 1:00 PM
- Seattle at Green Bay – ͏4:00 ͏PM
- Jacksonville at ͏Miami – 7:00 PM
- Buffalo at Tampa Bay͏ –͏ 7:30 PM
- L.A. Chargers at San Francisco – 8͏:30 PM
- Las Vegas at ͏Arizona – 10:00 PM
One͏ of ͏the most ͏critical dates during ͏this period ͏is August 26, known ͏as cut-down day. By 4 p.m. ET, ͏every team must reduce its roster from͏ ͏͏90 players ͏to the͏ ͏53-͏player regular-season ͏limit.͏ This often results ͏in a large number of player releases just before the deadline.
The͏ ͏final official ͏day of͏ training ͏camp is August͏ 31. While not every team practices through the ͏entire period͏͏, many use the ͏full ͏window ͏͏to fine-͏tune their͏ ͏roster ͏and schemes. Once camp ends, ͏teams begin final preparations for the regular season,͏ ͏which͏͏ begins on September 4.
