Jason Hanson, Lomas Brown among 9 ex-Lions nominated for Hall of Fame’s 2023 class

Lions' kicker Jason Hanson is a study in concentration as he practices his field-goal-kicking drill on the sidelines during Sunday's game against Washington. In Hanson's case, practice really did make perfect as he made all five of his field goal attempts to account for all of Detroit's scoring in a 15-10 win ofver the Redskins at the Pontiac Silverdome Sunday afternoon. (Press Photo/Lance Wynn) BPN
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ALLEN PARK -- Nine former Detroit Lions players are included on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s initial list of 129 nominees for the class of 2023.

That list includes longtime former Lions players and some that only played around these parts for a cup of tea. Kicker Jason Hanson, offensive tackle Lomas Brown, interior offensive lineman Kevin Glover, cornerback Dre Bly, wide receiver Anquan Boldin, defensive lineman Dwight Freeney, linebacker Pat Swilling, and quarterbacks Jeff Garcia and Dave Krieg made the cut.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will cut this group to 25 semifinalists in November, then 15 finalists in January.

Hanson was a second-round pick out of Washington State in 1992. The two-time Pro Bowler and PFWA rookie of the year went on to be worth the high-level investment. Hanson played 327 games for the franchise, which is the most in NFL history by a player for one team. He’s the franchise’s all-time scoring leader with 2,150 points. He’s fourth all-time with 495 made field goals. Hanson owns the league record for most 40-yard field goals (189), most consecutive makes from 40 yards (24), game-winning kicks in overtime (nine) and was the first player in NFL history to score 2,000 points.

Brown and Glover were vital to the franchise’s successful run from 1985 through the next decade. Glover spent the first 13 years of his career in Detroit before playing two seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. He retired as a three-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro. Brown is regularly spotted around Allen Park while handling color commentary on game day. The former tackle who spent most of his career paving holes for first-ballot inductee Barry Sanders made seven Pro Bowls, one All-Pro team and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring.

Related: Top 10 field goal leaders in Detroit Lions history

Related: Former championship-winning head coach for Detroit Lions nominated as finalist for Hall of Fame

Boldin, Garcia, Freeney and Krieg each spent one year in Detroit. Swilling spent two seasons around these parts. Bly was here for four seasons and 54 starts between 2003-2006. The cornerback had 19 interceptions, 12 forced fumbles, three defensive touchdowns and two Pro Bowl nods during his stint. Freeney had no production across 126 snaps in five games with the Lions in 2017. Boldin is a name to watch. His 1,076 catches, 13,779 yards and 82 touchdowns across 14 seasons look pretty strong on paper.

First-year nominees include running back Chris Johnson, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, safety Kam Chancellor, cornerback Darrelle Revis, punter Shane Lechler, offensive lineman Jahri Evans, linebackers James Harrison and NaVorro Bowman and Freeney.

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