The Washington Commanders will also host a joint practice ahead of the three-week preseason schedule in 2026
In addition to the NFL regular season schedule officially released on Thursday evening, details of the Washington Commanders' preseason schedule also came to fruition.
Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reported that the Commanders will host a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins ahead of the first preseason game. It marks an intriguing first matchup for the Dolphins, who enter the 2026 season with Jeff Hafley stepping into his first NFL head coaching opportunity.
A cool reunion will be former Washington running back and current Dolphins running backs coach Ladell Bets headed back to Ashburn, while Miami safety Dante Trader Jr. and defensive end Chop Robinson are among the opposing players enjoying a return to the DMV to kick off the 2026 slate.
Yet the early season matchup could give the Commanders a unique way to get settled in early as both teams work through the early season kinks.
Washington will then host the Miami Dolphins on Friday, August 14 for a 7 PM kickoff on CBS.
Washington will then travel to face the Detroit Lions the following week with the game also set to air on CBS. Both date and time have yet to be finalized.
The Commanders will then head back to the DMV to close out the preseason slate against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank on Friday, August 28 for another 7 PM kickoff on CBS. The two local teams have met every season since 2013, whether in the preseason or regular season, while the Commanders snapped the Ravens' 24-game preseason win streak back in 2023 following a game-winning 49-yard kick from Joey Slye with nine seconds left.
Yet the uncertain part about the preseason finale this year is what head coach Dan Quinn opts to do with the starters. Not only do the Commanders open the 2026 season against two divisional teams for the first time since 1999, it marks the first time since at least 1980 that both games will come on the road. Washington will also travel across the Atlantic to face the Colts in London after hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks for the home opener in week three.
It's a brutal stretch, and in a pivotal year three, it's paramount for Washington to start strong in order to keep playoff hopes alive into the second half of the season. Does that factor into the coaching staff's thinking for playing time in week three of the preseason?
Prior to preseason, the Commanders have already wrapped up rookie minicamp and will host their first weekend of OTAs beginning May 27 before mandatory minicamp beginning June 16.
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