Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023: Darrelle Revis, Joe Thomas, Dwight Freeney among finalists

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 15 finalists for the Class of 2023 on Wednesday night, with three first-year eligible players on the list.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis, offensive tackle Takla Joe Thomas and edge rusher Dwight Freeney had surgery five years after their careers ended.

In addition, safety Darren Woodson and cornerback Albert Lewis are first-time finalists. Lewis turns 20 and Woodson turns 15.

Voters will consider the current nominees in a virtual meeting before Super Bowl LVII, and the new class will be announced Jan. 9 during the NFL Honors Show in Arizona. The Class of 2023 will include no more than five current nominees, and each must receive at least 80 percent of the popular vote in the election.

Senior finalists Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley and coach/assistant finalist Don Coryell are also in the running.

Modern voting began with 129 candidates, which was initially whittled down to 28 semi-finalists.

Here are the 15 modern-era finalists:

Jared Allen, Defensive End 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15
Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers

Willie Anderson, Offensive Tackle 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens

Ronde Barber, Cornerback/Safety 1997-2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dwight Freeney, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker 2002-2012 Indianapolis Colts, 2013-14
San Diego Chargers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2016 Atlanta Falcons, 2017 Seattle Seahawks, 2017
Detroit Lions

Devin Hester, Punt Returner / Kick Returner / Wide Receiver 2006-2013 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Baltimore Ravens

Torry Holt, wide receiver 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars

Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver 2003-2014 Houston Texans, 2015 Indianapolis Colts, 2016
Tennessee Titans

Albert Lewis, Cornerback 1983-1993 Kansas City Chiefs, 1994-98 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders

Darrelle Revis, Cornerback 2007-2012 New York Jets, 2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2014
New England Patriots, 2015-16 New York Jets, 2017 Kansas City Chiefs

Joe Thomas, Offensive Tackle 2007-2017 Cleveland Browns

Zach Thomas, Linebacker 1996-2007 Miami Dolphins, 2008 Dallas Cowboys

DeMarcus Ware, Linebacker/Defensive End 2005-2013 Dallas Cowboys, 2014-16 Denver
Broncos

Reggie Wayne, wide receiver 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts

Patrick Willis, Linebacker 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers

Darren Woodson, Safety 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys