Bucs vs. Dolphins Preseason Week 3 Preview

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers close out the preseason on Friday by hosting the Miami Dolphins at Raymond James Stadium.

The two Florida-based teams have met 33 times before in the preseason going all the way back to the Bucs ' first year in the league, as the Dolphins were the first team ever to play the Bucs at the old Tampa Stadium back in Aug. 1976.

Miami leads the all-time series 18-15 although the Buccaneers have won three of the last four contests.

One of the storylines this offseason is No. 1 draft pick, Graham Barton, who is expected to make an immediate impact along the offensive line at center. Barton has impressed in camp and has earned the spot.

Barton knows it's a "work in progress," though.

"It's a work in progress and always will be," Barton said on Wednesday. "It's a role I've still got to earn every day, it's something that I'm coming here to prove that I can do."

Another storyline is the defensive line, which boasts some new faces. The team's second-round pick, Chris Braswell, is also expected to contribute almost immediately in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders, and Friday is his final opportunity to impress coaches.

For the Dolphins, avoiding injuries is the subject of Friday, as star wideout Tyreek Hill suffered a thumb injury during practice earlier this week, and the team is being cautious with him moving forward.

Related: Buccaneers Final Training Camp Practice Takeaways

“I kind of alluded to it with Jaylen Waddle back at home,” McDaniel said. “But there's certain situations where you're in training camp and you're practicing. Tyreek could practice today. However, there's also times… Because of the timing of where their bodies are at, kind of puts them at risk to get further injury."

Bucs coach Todd Bowles told us to expect the starters to see at least some action on Friday night against the Dolphins.