A way-too-early look at 2020: Preseason Week One vs. Miami Dolphins

Start the hype clock now.

The Atlanta Falcons' preseason begins on the week of Aug. 13-17 against the Miami Dolphins.

The home exhibition has a few reasons why it has more hype than the typical exhibition. Point one being, the current pandemic. Whether or not the first competitive taste of Atlanta Falcons football happens on the week of Aug. 13-17, the first preseason game in 2020 will be more appreciated than any year before after dealing at least two-plus months without any major-league sports in the spring.

The professional debut of Tua Tagovailoa is also a spectacle, if he plays. The rookie was so popular in college, recent reports came out about his social media worth from the 2019 season alone approached $400K. As of Tuesday morning, the former Alabama quarterback has over 340,000 followers on Twitter and 727,000+ on Instagram.

Beyond the off-the-field hype, the Dolphins hope to enter a new era in 2020. Over the offseason, Miami signed many key defenders including Byron Jones, Shaq Lawson and Kyle Van Noy. The team continued to add defensive help early in the 2020 draft by selecting Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene in the first round and Alabama defensive end Raekwon Davis in the second round. The Dolphins also signed running back Jordan Howard.

Falcons fans will get a first-look at Marlon Davidson and hometown cornerback A.J. Terrell, as well as Todd Gurley II's return to red-and-black in the state of Georgia. Albeit a single series or two, the faces of the franchise Matt Ryan and Julio Jones may bless the turf of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

A little over three months to go. Hopefully.