Weeks ago, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 162 Preliminary Senior Candidates for the Class of 2026, which they then reduced to 52.  Today, the PFHOF Blue Ribbon Seniors Committee has reduced this to 34. 

The next step will be a reduction to nine.

The remaining candidates are:

Quarterbacks (3): (Reduced from 5)

Ken Anderson: CIN 1971-86.  Anderson was the consensus MVP in 1981, and the four-time Pro Bowl would pass for 32,838 Yards and 197 Touchdowns.  He was also the 1975 Walter Payton Man of the Year and, historically, led the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl.  Ranked #8 on notinhalloffame.com. 

Charlie Conerly: NYG 1948-61. Conerly was a 1956 New York Giants NFL Championship Team member, was a two-time Pro Bowl Selection, and accumulated 19,488 Yards and 173 TDs.  Ranked #50 on notinhalloffame.com.

Roman Gabriel: LAR 1962-72 & PHI 1973-77.  Gabriel was the league MVP in 1969, earning four Pro Bowls and a First Team All-Pro, and he threw for 29,444 Yards and 201 TDs.  Ranked #35 on notinhalloffame.com.

The Quarterbacks who were cut were Jack Kemp and Don Meredith.

The Chairman’s Gut Reaction:

There is no shock here, as Meredith was a long shot, and Kemp, as an AFL star, was expected to be dropped.  Nevertheless, if I had to cut this group to three, that is who I would have gone with.

Running Backs (4): (Reduced from 6)

Roger Craig:  SFO 1983-90, RAI 1991 & MIN 1992-93.  The first player to accumulate 1,000 Yards Rushing and Receiving, Craig won three Super Bowls, was the Offensive Player of the Year, earned four Pro Bowls, and was a First Team All-Pro.  From Scrimmage, he had 73 Touchdowns and 13,100 Yards,  Ranked #15 on notinhalloffame.com.

Chuck Foreman:  MIN 1973-79 & NWE 1980.  Foreman went to the Pro Bowl in his first five seasons, and the 1973 Offensive Rookie of the Year was a two-time YFS TD leader.  He compiled 9,106 Yards from Scrimmage.  Ranked #79 on notinhalloffame.com. 

Cecil Isbell: GNB 1938-42.  Isbell only played five seasons, but was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time Touchdown leader, and a two-time leader in Passing Yards.  He also helped Green Bay win the NFL Championship in 1939 and was named to the 1930s All-Decade Team.  Ranked #72 on notinhalloffame.com. 

Paul “Tank” Younger: RAM 1949-57 & PIT 58.  Younger won an NFL Championship with the Los Angeles Rams and was a four-time Pro Bowl and one-time First Team All-Pro.  Younger rushed for 3,640 Yards and 34 Touchdowns and was also a potent Linebacker.  Ranked #196 on notinhalloffame.com.

The Running Backs who were cut were Ottis Anderson and Larry Brown.

The Chairman’s Gut Reaction:

I would have loved to see Larry Brown advance, but I am happy that Cecil Isbell is through.   Bluntly, Roger Craig is my focus, as he should have been years ago.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends (7): (Reduced from 9)

Isaac Curtis: CIN 1973-84. Curtis was a Pro Bowl Selection in his first four years and a three-time Second-Team All-Pro.  He had 7,101 Receiving Yards and 53 Touchdowns.

Lavvie Dilweg: MIL 1926 & GNB 1927-34.  Dilwag was a three-time NFL Champion with Green Bay and was chosen for the 1920s All-Decade Team.  Ranked #6 on notinhalloffame.com.

Henry Ellard: RAM 1983-93, WAS 1994-98 & NEW 1998.  Ellard compiled 13,777 Yards and 65 Touchdowns in a career that included leading the NFL in Receiving Yards.  He is also a three-time Pro Bowl and one-time First Team All-Pro.  Ranked #64 on notinhalloffame.com.

Harold Jackson: RAM 1968 & 1973-77, PHI 1969-72, BEW 1978-81, MIN 1982 & SEA 1983.  A five-time Pro Bowler, Jackson won two Receiving Yards Titles and compiled 10,372 Yards and 76 Touchdowns.  Ranked #49 on notinhalloffame.com.

Stanley Morgan: NWE 1977-89 & IND 1990.  A four-time Pro Bowl Selection, Stanley Morgan compiled 72 Touchdowns with 10,716 Receiving Yards.  He was also a three-time leader in Yards per Reception.    Ranked #266 on notinhalloffame.com.

Art Powell: PHI 1959, NYT 1960-62, OAK 1963-66, BUF 1967 & MIN 1968.  Powell, who was a Finalist last year, was a two-time Receiving Yards leader in the AFL.  A four-time AFL-All-Star and two-time First Team All-Pro, Powell had 8,046 Yards and 81 Touchdowns.  Ranked #165 on notinhalloffame.com.

Otis Taylor: KAN 1965-75. Taylor won two AFL Championships and a Super Bowl with Kansas City, who had 60 TDs and 7,467 Yards From Scrimmage.  He was also a two-time First Team All-Pro.  Ranked #32 on notinhalloffame.com.

The Wide Receivers/Tight Ends who were cut were Mark Clayton and Billy “White Shoes” Johnson.

The Chairman’s Gut Reaction:

Of the two cuts, the side-eye goes to White Shoes, indicating that Special Teams need not apply.

Offensive Lineman (5): (Reduced from 11)

Joe Jacoby: WAS 1981-93.  A famed member of the Hogs, Jacoby was part of all three of Washington’s Super Bowl wins and was a four-time Pro Bowl and two-time First Team All-Pro.  Ranked #33 on notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Kenn: ATL 1978-94.  Kenn is one of the finest offensive linemen in Falcons history, and the Left Tackle would earn five Pro Bowls and two First Team All-Pros. Ranked #61 on notinhalloffame.com.

Bob Kuechenberg: MIA 1970-83.  The versatile Lineman was a significant component in Miami’s back-to-back Super Bowl Championships in the early 70s, and he was also named to six Pro Bowls and one First Team All-Pro.  Ranked #30 on notinhalloffame.com. 

Jim Tyrer: DTX 1961-62, KAN 1963-73 & WAS 1974.  A three-time AFL Champion with the Texans/Chiefs, the Left Tackle was a six-time First Team All-Pro and nine-time AFL All-Star/Pro Bowl Selection.  Ranked #13 on notinhalloffame.com.

Al Wistert: PHI 1943-51.  Wistert was an All-Decade player of the 1940s who propelled Philadelphia to two NFL Championships.  He was also a four-time First Team All-Pro.  Ranked #31 on notinhalloffame.com.

The Offensive Linemen who were cut were Jay Hilgenberg, Chris Hinton, Marvin Powell, Dick Schafrath, Jerry Sisemore, and Walt Sweeney.

The Chairman’s Gut Reaction:

The omission of Dick Schafrath and Walt Sweeney feels criminal to me, but this is the Senior abyss that is the reality of the Senior Pool.

Defensive Linemen (2): (Reduced from 4)

L.C. Greenwood:  PIT 1969-81.  Greenwood was a vital member of the Steelers' 1970s dynasty that won four Super Bowls.  A six-time Prowl and two-time First Team All-Pro, Greenwood accumulated 78 Sacks.  Ranked #5 on notinhalloffame.com.

Jim Marshall: CLE 1960 & MIN 1961-78.  The ironman of his day, Marshall brought the Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances and was a two-time Pro Bowl Selection along the way.  He had 130.5 lifetime Sacks.  Ranked #37 on notinhalloffame.com.

The Defensive Linemen who were cut were Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Harvey Martin.

The Chairman’s Gut Reaction:

If two Defensive Linemen were going to advance, Greenwood and Marshall were the two.  Both have very solid Hall of Fame cases.

Linebackers (6): (Reduced from 8)

Carl Banks: NYG 1984-92, WAS 1993 & CLE 1994-95.  A two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Giants, Banks was a one-time All-Pro with 860 career Tackles. Ranked #234 in notinhalloffame.com.

Maxie Baughan: PHI 1960-65, RAM 1966-70 & WAS 1974.  Baughan was an NFL Champion with Philadelphia and was a nine-time Pro Bowl Selection.  He was also a one-time First Team All-Pro and five-time Second Team All-Pro.  Ranked #14 on notinhalloffame.com.

Larry Grantham:  NYT 1960-62 & NYJ 1963-72.  Grantham was a five-time AFL All-Star and three-time First Team All-Pro, who was part of the historical Jets team that won Super Bowl III.  Ranked #60 on notinhalloffame.com.

Lee Roy Jordan: DAL 1963-76.  Playing his entire career with the Cowboys, Jordan patrolled the interior and was a five-time Pro Bowler in the process.  He also won a Super Bowl with Big D.  Ranked #46 on notinhalloffame.com.

Clay Matthews Jr.: CLE 1978-93 & ATL 1994-96.  Matthews Jr. was a three-time leader in Combined Tackles with 1,595 overall.  A four-time Pro Bowl Selection, Matthews Jr. also had 82.5 Sacks and 16 Interceptions.  Ranked #100 on notinhalloffame.com.

Tommy Nobis: ATL 1966-78.  Nobis was the Rookie of the Year and a five-time Pro Bowl Selection.  Ranked #36 on notinhalloffame.com.

The Linebackers who were cut were Mike Curtis and Matt Millen.

The Chairman’s Gut Reaction:

Realistically, Baughan and Nobis should be the focus here.  In previous years, Maxie would have made the final round had he made it, but the numbers work against him (and really everyone on this list).

Defensive Backs (6): (Reduced from 8)

Dick Anderson:  MIA 1968-77.  Anderson was the 1968 Defensive Rookie of the Year, the 1973 Defensive Player of the Year, and won two Super Bowls.  A two-time First Team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl Selection, Anderson had 24 Interceptions.  Ranked #93 on notinhalloffame.com.

Bobby Boyd:  BAL 1960-68.  Boyd won an NFL Championship with the Colts and was a three-time First Team All-Pro.  He led the league in Interceptions in 1965, with a total of 57.  Ranked #39 on notinhalloffame.com.

Albert Lewis:  KAN 1983-93, RAI 1994 & OAK 1995-98.  Lewis went to four straight Pro Bowls (1987-90), was a two-time First Team All-Pro, and compiled 42 Interceptions.  Ranked #104 on notinhalloffame.com.

Eddie Meador: RAM 1959-70.  Meador is one of the most prolific Defensive Backs in RMS history and was a six-time Pro Bowl and two-time First Team All-Pro.  He amassed a franchise record of 46 Interceptions.  Ranked #68 on notinhalloffame.com.

Lemar Parrish: CIN 1970-77, WAS 1978-81 & BUF 1982.  Parrish went to eight Pro Bowls with a First Team All-Pro while recording 47 Interceptions.  Ranked #16 on notinhalloffame.com.

Everson Walls: DAL 1981-89, NYG 1990-92 & CLE 1992-93.  Walls had 57 Interceptions and was a four-time Pro Bowl Selection with a Super Bowl ring with the Giants.  Ranked #87 on notinhalloffame.com.

The Defensive Backs who were cut were Pat Fischer and Lester Hayes.

The Chairman’s Gut Reaction:

HOW THE HELL IS LESTER HAYES NOT HERE!?!?!?!?

Bluntly, I am disgusted by this omission, and he had the resume to enter as a Modern candidate years ago.   Please explain this to me like I am five!

Special Teams (1)

Steve Tasker: HOU 1985-86 & BUF 1986-97.  Tasker went to four Super Bowls with Buffalo and was a seven-time Pro Bowl Selection.  Ranked #144 on notinhalloffame.com.

Nothing changed.

This group will be cut next month.

We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the candidates who have reached this stage.