Is Jaylen Waddle playing tonight? Latest on Dolphins WR for Week 3 NFL preseason vs. Buccaneers

The Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off on Friday to conclude their 2024 preseason schedule.

Fans of the Dolphins are curiousabout whether many of the team's starters, notably wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, will play in this preseason finale in Tampa Bay.

Mike McDaniel, the Miami coach, has revealed that he is balancing the idea of keeping some of his starters healthy with getting his key players ready for Week 1 of the regular season.

Tyreek Hill and Waddle have not been able to play in the first two weeks of the preseason due to injuries to Dolphins players on the offensive side.

Waddle has been sidelined for a few weeks during training camp due to an ailment that has not been made public. Although Coach McDaniel says the injury is not significant, the wideout has not yet taken part in a full team practice and has only been practicing on his own. Waddle's injury may not be serious, but it's safe to assume that he won't play for the Dolphins against the Bucs today.

McDaniel mentioned earlier in the week that the healthy starters will play this weekend against Tampa Bay, though he did not give further details. We don't expect to see Hill and Waddle, however, but this might mean players like quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will get some action.

Waddle has missed preseason games before, so this is not completely new for him. The wide receiver missed all three preseason games last year as well due to an undisclosed injury. Despite that, he was still able to surpass 1,000 receiving yards and became the first player in Dolphins history to do so in each of their first three NFL seasons.

In preparation for their preseason game on Friday, the Dolphins flew to Tampa Bay earlier this week for a combined practice with the Bucs. The two teams will play at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay on Aug. 23 at 7:30 pm ET.

NFL Preseason Week 3: How to watch Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins' combined practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week marked the conclusion of their 2024 training camp. They will now play the Bucs in Florida on Friday night to complete their preseason schedule.

The Dolphins vs. Buccaneers game will not be televised nationally, but it will be broadcast to fans in the local markets.

For fans in Miami, the Week 3 preseason game will be broadcast on CBS 4, with Steve Goldstein and Kim Bokamper on call duties. For fans in Tampa Bay, you can watch the game from NBC 8's local broadcast, with Chris Myers and Ronde Barber as commentators.

Below are all the details you need to watch or stream the Bucs vs. Dolphins preseason finale:

Date and Time: Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, at 7:30 pm ET

Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

TV: CBS 4 (Miami), NBC 8 (Tampa)

Commentators: Steve Goldstein, Kim Bokamper (Miami); Chris Myers, Ronde Barber (Tampa Bay)

Live streaming: NFL+, FuboTV, Sling TV