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Look, we all know the drill. Every May, the NFL drops the schedule, and everyone rushes to circle the big prime-time games in December. But if you’re actually trying to see how this roster shakes out, you’ve gotta look at the dog days of August. The miami dolphins preseason schedule 2025 is basically the only time we get to see if those late-round draft picks are actually "steals" or just camp bodies.
Honestly, the 2025 preseason was a bit of a weird one for Miami. They spent a lot of time on planes. Usually, teams try to stay close to home for these exhibition games, but Mike McDaniel and the front office decided to go on a mini-Midwest tour before finally coming back to the humidity of South Florida.
Breaking Down the Miami Dolphins Preseason Schedule 2025
The slate officially kicked off on a Sunday afternoon, which felt a little different from the usual Friday or Saturday night lights. Miami headed to Chicago to face the Bears at Soldier Field on August 10. Kickoff was right at 1:00 PM ET. It ended in a 24-24 tie, which is just peak preseason. You had Tua Tagovailoa playing maybe one series before the backup carousel started.
Week 2 didn't get any easier for the travel budget. The team stayed up north, heading over to Detroit to face the Lions on Saturday, August 16. That one was also a 1:00 PM ET start. Miami actually pulled out a 24-17 win there. Most people don't realize that the Lions and Dolphins haven't really played each other in the preseason this century—the last time was back in 1999.
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Finally, the team came home. On August 23, they hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium. This was the "dress rehearsal" under the lights at 7:00 PM ET. Miami won 14-6 in a game that was mostly about defense and kicker battles.
Why the Joint Practices Mattered More Than the Games
If you're just looking at the final scores, you're missing the point. The real "meat" of the miami dolphins preseason schedule 2025 happened behind the scenes.
The Dolphins held joint practices with all three of their opponents. That's three weeks of controlled, high-intensity reps against different schemes. Mike McDaniel has always been vocal about how much he values these sessions over the actual preseason games. It’s where the real evaluation happens because you can control the situations.
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You’ve got a rookie wide receiver trying to beat a veteran corner from the Bears? That happens on a Tuesday morning in August, not necessarily on Sunday afternoon.
- Chicago Sessions: Focused heavily on line play.
- Detroit Trip: A massive test of "grit" against Dan Campbell’s squad.
- Jaguars Week: This was the homecoming at the Baptist Health Training Complex.
The Impact on the 53-Man Roster
By the time that final whistle blew against Jacksonville on August 23, the coaching staff basically had their answers. The preseason isn't for the starters. It's for the guys like Jeff Wilson Jr. or the undrafted free agents trying to prove they belong on special teams.
The travel schedule was intentional. Making the guys fly to Chicago and Detroit back-to-back mimics the fatigue they might face during the regular season. For example, Miami had a massive game in Madrid, Spain, later that November against the Washington Commanders. Getting those "travel legs" under them in August was a strategic move by the staff.
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Viewing the Games: Local vs. National
For the fans back in South Florida, CBS Miami was the go-to. They carried all three games locally. If you were outside the market, NFL Network usually picked up the re-airs or the live feed for the Jaguars game.
It’s easy to dismiss these games as "meaningless," but for a team trying to find depth behind a high-priced starting lineup, they are everything. Without that 24-24 tie in Chicago, we might not have seen which backup offensive linemen were actually ready for the speed of the NFL.
If you’re looking to plan for the next cycle, keep an eye on the official NFL schedule release usually occurring the second week of May. Until then, you can count on the Dolphins prioritizing these high-intensity joint practice sessions to get their roster in shape.
Next steps for fans:
- Check the official Dolphins app for archived highlights of the 2025 rookie performances.
- Verify your local broadcast listings for any upcoming "Season in Review" specials that often feature mic'd up segments from these August games.