Preliminary nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame include these Panthers legends

The preliminary nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 have been announced.

Sixteen former Carolina Panthers players and one current assistant coach are among the 167 preliminary nominees, the team announced on Wednesday .

Former linebacker Luke Kuechly and center Ryan Kalil are among the first-time eligible players this year. They join a group that includes wide receiver Steve Smith, who made the cut to 25 semifinalists over the last three years.

Former linebacker Luke Kuechly reflects on Panthers legend ahead of induction

The list of 167 players will be whittled down to 50 by a special screening committee, and those results will be announced in mid-October. The full Hall of Fame selection committee will then reduce that list to 25 semifinalists and then to 15 finalists.

In addition to Kuechly, Kalil, and Smith, the following players with Panthers ties are on the list of 167 preliminary nominees.

• QB Jake Delhomme
• B Stephen Davis
• RB/WR/PR/KR Eric Metcalf
• R Muhsin Muhammad
• WR Steve Smith Sr.
• TE Wesley Walls
• TE Jeremy Shockey
• OT Jordan Gross
• C Ryan Kalil
• DE Jared Allen
• LB Jessie Armstead
• LB Luke Kuechly
• LB Lee Woodall
• S Eugene Robinson
• CB Charles Tillman
• B DeAngelo Hall (Current Panthers assistant coach)
• K John Kasay

Click here for the full list of 167 players.

VIDEO: Former linebacker Luke Kuechly reflects on Panthers legend ahead of induction