Full Breakdown
NFL Unveils Full Schedule of 2026 Joint Practices Across All Teams
6/23/2026, 6:57:52 AM
Joint Practice Schedule Unveiled for 2026 Training Camps
The NFL released the complete slate of joint-practice sessions for the 2026 preseason on June 22. Twenty-eight of the league’s thirty-two clubs will meet in paired workouts during August, while the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos will not hold joint sessions. The first four match-ups occur on August 11, with the Dallas Cowboys facing the Los Angeles Rams, the Indianapolis Colts visiting the New England Patriots, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training with the New York Jets, and the Tennessee Titans practicing with the San Francisco 49ers. Subsequent dates span the month, culminating in a Bears-Titans session on August 27.
Background & Context
Joint practices have become a standard element of NFL preseason preparation. They allow teams to simulate game-like intensity, evaluate rookies against external competition, and expose fans to open-practice environments. The league schedules these sessions ahead of each team’s preseason games, often two days before the corresponding contest.
Timeline of Joint Practices (chronological)
- Aug 11 – Cowboys vs Rams (Los Angeles); Colts vs Patriots (Foxborough); Buccaneers vs Jets (Ashburn, VA); Titans vs 49ers (Santa Clara)
- Aug 12 – Dolphins vs Commanders (Ashburn, VA)
- Aug 13 – Jaguars vs Saints (Metairie, LA)
- Aug 18 – 49ers vs Chargers (El Segundo, CA); Raiders vs Texans (Houston); Saints vs Cowboys (Oxnard, CA)
- Aug 19 – Falcons vs Colts (Westfield, IN); Ravens vs Vikings (Eagan, MN); Panthers vs Jaguars (Jacksonville, FL); Eagles vs Patriots (Foxborough, MA)
- Aug 20 – Bills vs Browns (Berea, OH); Bears vs Bengals (Cincinnati, OH); Saints vs Rams (Los Angeles); Giants vs Dolphins (Miami Gardens, FL)
- Aug 21 – Seahawks vs Titans (Nashville, TN)
- Aug 25 – Buccaneers vs Jaguars (Jacksonville, FL)
- Aug 26 – Cardinals vs Packers (Green Bay, WI); Texans vs Panthers (Charlotte, NC); Commanders vs Ravens (Owings Mills, MD)
- Aug 27 – Bears vs Titans (Nashville, TN)
Data & Statistics
- 28 joint-practice sessions scheduled for August.
- 32 teams in the league; 4 (Lions, Steelers, Chiefs, Broncos) will not hold joint practices.
- Sessions involve 28 distinct host-visiting pairings across 3 weeks.
- All joint practices are open to the public, providing fan access to preseason action.
Why It Matters
Joint workouts give coaches a live benchmark for assessing rookie performance, testing new schemes, and gauging player health under competitive conditions. Public access enhances fan engagement and offers media visibility ahead of the regular season. The schedule also influences roster decisions, as teams often trim to the 53-man limit by August 30.
Official Statements & Responses
- Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer emphasized conditioning, noting that “it’s a little harder to carry the pads later into the season” and that the team is using sports-science insights to vary weekly intensity.
- Bears head coach Ben Johnson described the joint-practice calendar as “potentially” fluid, indicating the staff is still finalizing dates and may add additional sessions.
- Lions head coach Dan Campbell explained the decision to skip joint practices: “Let’s just keep it about us, let’s go to work, set the schedule up, and we can hit everything; we don’t have to get ready for the next opponent in a joint practice, we go right through it.”
Criticism & Opposition
Some Miami Dolphins players previously criticized the intensity of a Bears joint practice, suggesting that overly aggressive sessions could increase injury risk. The Lions’ choice to forego joint practices reflects an alternative philosophy that prioritizes internal preparation over external scrimmages.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the Bears-Titans joint-practice date: the Chicago Sun-Times lists August 26, while the Chicago Bears-Goggles and AtoZ Sports outlets record August 27. Additionally, several teams have not released public comments on their joint-practice plans, leaving portions of the schedule without official context.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It's a little harder to carry the pads later into the season,” — Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys head coach
- “I do think, talking with our sports science people, there's a different way to really build some calluses during training camp. And then when the season starts, we're going to have a hard type of week, medium type of week and a light type of week… I think that's all stuff that I've learned, and am using the people that are experts more than me on how the body works and how the body recovers.” — Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys head coach
- “We’re still working through the scheduling right now… There’s potentially more than just one this year.” — Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears head coach
- “Let’s just keep it about us, let’s go to work, set the schedule up, and we can hit everything; we don’t have to get ready for the next opponent in a joint practice, we go right through it,” — Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions head coach
What’s Next
Following the joint-practice slate, each team will play three preseason games (typically the week after each joint session). Roster cuts to 53 players are slated for August 30, and the 2026 regular season opens on September 9 with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots.
