Final preseason game airing on national TV
It appears that major television networks believe there will be plenty of interest in potentially watching Tua Tagovailoa face off against Joe Burrow during the NFL preseason.
That must have been the motivation behind naming the Dolphins’ third preseason game — an Aug. 29 road exhibition against the Cincinnati Bengals — as one of the two nationally televised preseason games that week.
The NFL announced that CBS will air the 4 p.m. game, putting the final warm-up for the Dolphins and Bengals in front of a national audience. Atlanta’s home game against the Cleveland Browns will be the other exhibition game nationally televised by NBC that Sunday night.
This will be the Dolphins’ third and final preseason game, so there’s no telling how each coaching staff will use the exhibition game.
Typically, the third preseason game was viewed as the dress rehearsal for the regular season, and the starters played at least two quarters before backups and roster long shots took over trying to earn a spot.
But with the NFL shifting to three preseason games, trimming the exhibitions down from four because of the addition of a 17th regular-season game, there’s no telling how coaches will use the final preseason game.
It could remain a dress rehearsal, and the nation might get to see Tagovailoa lead the Dolphins against Burrow, who is coming back from a season-ending knee injury he suffered in late November. Or, both teams could use it as a final look at roster long shots, and journeymen, while resting their starters.
The Dolphins, who kick off the regular season Sept. 12 on the road against the New England Patriots, have not clarified how the preseason will be used. But Miami’s coaches hint that they expect changes to be made league-wide.
The Dolphins begin the preseason on the road against the Chicago Bears, traveling to Soldier Field for an Aug. 14 game at 1 p.m.
Miami then hosts the Atlanta Falcons for a week’s worth of practices that lead into an Aug. 21 preseason game that will be played at Hard Rock Stadium at 7 p.m. It is possible that game could be used as the dress rehearsal, and starters will be given a heavy snap count.
The Dolphins then travel to Cincinnati, where they will face a Bengals team Miami beat 19-7 last season in a game where coach Brian Flores charged the field after a brutal hit was made to Jakeem
Grant while he was trying to field a punt return and had called for a fair catch.
It is possible that the Dolphins could have their starters play in all three preseason games, progressively increasing their workload and snap count to gear up for the regular season.