Miami Dolphins will have three - count em', three! - joint practice opponents this summer
MIAMI GARDENS - There may be no reason for any Dolphins starters to play in any of this year's three preseason games.
Coach Mike McDaniel explained Tuesday that the team will hold joint practices with all three teams - count' em, three! - they're playing this summer.
That means that prior to preseason games at home against Atlanta (Aug. 9) and Washington (Aug. 17) and at Tampa Bay (Aug. 23), the teams will have drills and scrimmage sessions.
Those sessions are structured in a way that they are often much more competitive and productive than the actual preseason games.
There's a decent chance some of the practices against the Falcons and/or Washington in Miami Gardens will be open to fans with tickets, too.
Nobody likes preseason games, anyway
The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, wants to trim the preseason schedule from three games to two and honestly, two is more than enough with as much as teams have joint practices now.
"Each each offseason is a different code to crack," McDaniel said Tuesday. "I think the specific needs of your team vary. I think in this specific offseason, we had the opportunity to get a couple more valuable practice days against varied looks. Varied techniques. The intensity of practice, in general, is raised to a degree when you're going against a fresh, new opponent."
Past joint practices have been very, very revealing to reporters in attendance.
We have seen players badly exposed and hidden gems come to life.
Which QBs will Dolphins face in joint practices?
Among the quarterbacks the Dolphins will face in these practices are: veteran Kirk Cousins, rookie Michael Penix, rookie Jayden Daniels, veteran Marcus Mariota and veteran Baker Mayfield.
It will be interesting to see how well the new defensive installation by first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is going.
It will also be interesting to see how newcomers like Jaylen Wright, Jonnu Smith, Odell Beckham, Jr., Aaron Brewer, Jack Driscoll, Chop Robinson, Mo Kamara, Patrick Paul, Kendall Fuller, Jordan Poyer and Shaq Barrett look in live action.
"I think that the players' offseason, the way that our particular, specific team practices against each other, I'm forecasting that that will be a breath of fresh air to see somebody else," McDaniel said. "You know, so I think there's a lot of things that go into it. But in this particular formula, we saw benefit in getting a couple more practice reps against opponents and adding to our offseason development."
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins will face Atlanta, Washington and Tampa Bay in joint practices
