Hurricane Ian strengthened to a Category 2 on Monday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center, and Tampa Bay is expected to start seeing hurricane conditions by Wednesday. The current storm surge forecast for the area is up to 10 feet.
The NFL is monitoring the hurricane with the Buccaneers scheduled to play the Chiefs on Sunday night.
The Bucs, though, are heading to Miami on Tuesday, Greg Auman of TheAthletic.com reports, and will practice at the Dolphins’ facilities this week.
The Dolphins play in Cincinnati on Thursday night, so their stadium and practice fields will be available for the Bucs to use.
The Bucs-Chiefs game, if affected, is more likely to shift days than sites, per Auman, though the Dolphins did offer Hard Rock Stadium for Sunday night if needed.
The Bucs and Dolphins had their 2017 Week 1 game postponed to later in the season because of an impending hurricane in Miami. The Saints’ 2021 season opener against the Packers was moved to Jacksonville after Hurricane Ida left much of New Orleans without electricity.