Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith among preliminary nominees for 2023 Hall of Fame class

The Hall of Fame released its preliminary list of nominees for the Class of 2023, including a pair of Jaguars legends.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 129 nominees for the Class of 2023, including Jacksonville Jaguars legends Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith.

Both Taylor and Smith were also nominees for the Classes of 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Smith has been nominated for every class since his first year of eligibility in 2011, with the exception of 2019 when he was left off the list.

In November, the list of 129 will be cut to 25 semi-finalists and then to 15 finalists in January.

Last year, Taylor was named a semi-finalist for the third straight year. Smith has yet to advance past the preliminary list of nominees and Taylor has yet to become a finalist.

Taylor is 17th in NFL history in rushing yards, behind 14 Hall of Famers and the not-yet-eligible Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson. Smith is 25th all-time in receiving yards, but well behind several other Hall of Fame nominees, including Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne, and Andre Johnson.

Torry Holt, who had a brief stint with the Jaguars and was a finalist for the Class of 2022, is also ahead of Jimmy Smith in career receiving yardage.

Among the first-year eligible players for the Class of 2023 are running back Chris Johnson, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, and cornerback Darrelle Revis.

In August, the Jaguars got their first ever Hall of Famer when former offensive tackle Tony Boselli was inducted.