Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Teaming up with the Bucs
Combined practices held before exhibition
The Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will hold two joint practices in Tampa on Aug. 13 and 14 that fans can attend.
Those padded practices will lead into the teams’ second preseason game, which they will play Aug. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
NFL teams combining for preseason practices has become a staple during the exhibition season in recent years because it allows them to get a better assessment of their roster’s talent level and areas of concern.
This will mark the third time since 2015 the Dolphins have held joint practices with another team, and all of them have been away from South Florida.
In 2015, the Dolphins practiced with the Carolina Pan
thers ahead of a preseason game. And in 2017, the Dolphins joined the Philadelphia Eagles for three joint practices ahead of their exhibition game that summer.
The Dolphins and Buccaneers, who don’t face each other in the regular season in 2019, met during the preseason every year from 2000-15 before renewing their matchup last year at Hard Rock Stadium.
The official date when Dolphins training camp opens has not been released, but it will likely be in the final week of July. The Buccaneers open training camp July 26, and Miami could do so as well.
The Dolphins typically open training camp on a Friday and host between 10 and 15 practice sessions that are open to the public and one scrimmage inside Hard Rock Stadium. Miami has not released its training camp schedule yet, and there could be changes this year with new coach Brian Flores at the helm.
Miami will open its preseason at Hard Rock Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 8.
A week later, the Dolphins will visit the Buccaneers for practices and the second exhibition game. The Dolphins are 17-14 all time in preseason games against the Bucs, facing them more than any other team in their preseason history.
The Dolphins return to Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 22 at 8 p.m. for a nationally televised Thursday game against the Jaguars that will be aired by Fox. That game is the team’s dress rehearsal for the regular season and will likely feature starters playing well into the second quarter.
Miami holds a 6-4 edge in the all-time preseason series between the two teams.
The preseason concludes Aug. 29 as Miami plays at New Orleans. Starters typically sit out that exhibition game, allowing the backups and roster longshots to compete.
The Dolphins are 14-7 all-time against the Saints in the preseason, but the teams have not played each other in the preseason since 2013.
The Dolphins begin the regular season with a Sept. 8 home opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
WFOR-TV CBS4 will once again be the preseason television home of the Dolphins. To purchase tickets to Dolphins games call 888-FINS-TIX (888-346-7849) or visit Dolphins.com.