Jeff Hafley Explains the Method to the Joint Practice Madness
The NFL preseason is not what it used to be. Once upon a time, the preseason was used as a means for teams to get their starters ready for the regular season.
Yes, the backups would play during the games as well, but only after the coaching staff determined that starters got enough work in to be ready for when the regular season began.
Now, the new trend that is sweeping across the NFL is teams practicing against others in training camp. Starters get the majority of the reps in those practices, before giving way to reserves once the game is played later in the week.
Jeff Hafley is no stranger to joint practices. When he was the defensive coordinator in Green Bay, the Packers went against the Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks in 2025. They also practiced against the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens in 2024.
Hafley liked the work that his team got in those years, and he's bringing that trend to Miami in his first year as the head coach, with a slight difference.
The Dolphins will practice this summer against both the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants ahead of the teams' preseason matchups. The Dolphins will not conduct a joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons, the final preseason opponent of 2026.
Joint practices are not a departure from what the Dolphins have done in recent years. They held joint practice sessions regularly under Mike McDaniel's stewardship with varying degrees of success. Most recently, they were in Chicago and Detroit working against the Bears and the Lions.
What is Different About This Year?
The difference in 2026 is that Hafley is only going to have his team hold one practice against Washington and New York in the interest of protecting the teams from each other.
"Yeah I mean, you're just inviting trouble," Hafley said. "What I've experienced on the second practice, which is what we used to do, whatever team gets the best of the team day one, the other team comes out and tries to overdo it and usually stuff just gets bad and you have a higher chance for injury.
"I mean, a fight's a fight; if it happens, you quit it up, it shouldn't happen in joint practice. You're just worried about going too far and anybody getting injured. Our job is to protect the team and protect the players."
Hafley has seen this play out in real time. Last year, when Hafley was with the Packers, his team had a practice filled with fights that included one player being ejected. The fight spilled into the aftermath of practice as the players continued to jaw at each other.
The Dolphins were in the same situation. Last year the Dolphins and Jaguars got chippy during their joint practice.
Of course, that happened when all of the teams only faced off in one practice. Fights and physicality are almost the expectation of what happens when two teams get together after facing off against themselves for a prolonged period of time.
Not Just About Fights
There's more on Hafley's mind than just simply avoiding fights by only practicing once against an opposing team.
"I think one good hard practice, because the other thing is when you look at blocks of practices, you usually have a high day, a low day, and a medium day," Hafley said. "Those joint practices you should maximize your reps, so the ones might get 50 snaps, which is equivalent to what we're working toward playing in a game. You can't do that two days in a row, or it's like playing two games and you're going to wear these guys out."
Those reps that Hafley talks about are important for his offense as they break in a new quarterback and skill group. They're also able to do so in a controlled environment as a way to not risk injuries, which can derail a season before it even gets started.
It will also be interesting to see how the Dolphins match up in practice against each team. The Commanders are coming off a disappointing season, but just played in the NFC Championship Game following the 2024 season. The Giants are a trendy pick to make a run at the postseason after hiring John Harbaugh.
The Dolphins are in the midst of a rebuild and could use these sessions as a means to see how they stack up against teams that are presumed to be ahead of them.
They just need to make sure they do so safely, which is why Hafley is calculated with how he's scheduling each session.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 11:09 AM.