During the Miami Dolphins offseason program, the team was cautious with center Mike Pouncey because he was still recovering from hip surgery. Now it seems the Dolphins know when Pouncey will return to the field.

A source told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald the team expects Pouncey to be ready for the Dolphins’ regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 10, “barring an unexpected setback.” Pouncey was in attendance during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, but he was seen working with trainers on the side, away from his teammates.

During minicamp, Dolphins head coach Adam Gase said he was impressed with the progress Pouncey made during the offseason.

“He’s really improving,” Gase said earlier this month. “We feel like we’re on a really, really good track right now and we’ll wait to the next doctor’s visit when we get kind of that report back and see what our next step would be. Or did anything change? Better? Worse? We’re just trying to really focus on the steps that the doctors have us right now. He’s done a good job of not trying to push ahead and say ‘Hey, I’m a fast healer and I’m tough.’ We all know that. The biggest thing for us is we need him healed because that’s really what it is, it’s time. He wants to be out there but it’s no good if we only get him for a couple of games. We need him for the duration.”

Last year, Pouncey only played in five games because of a hip injury. The last time Pouncey played 16 games in a season was in 2012, his second year in the league.

Despite his durability concerns, Gase called Pouncey, a three-time Pro Bowler, the best center in football during the annual meetings in March. If Pouncey can remain healthy this season, that will give quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Jay Ajayi an added boost offensively.