The Pittsburgh Steelers don't often conform to the norms of the NFL. Since the NFL changed their jersey number rules, Pittsburgh hasn't allowed many players to wear single-digit numbers. Pittsburgh doesn't work on contracts in the middle of the season. The point is, the organization has its own way of going about business. This is why it was surprising to hear that the Steelers agreed to host the Buffalo Bills for a joint practice ahead of their preseason game during 2024 training camp.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt (#90) knocks the ball away from Bills' Josh Allen (#17) in 2021.
Pittsburgh has held joint practice before, just not often. In 2016, they held a practice with the Detroit Lions, and that was the last time the organization agreed to do such a thing. There are some NFL teams that hold joint practices every year. Some benefits are it allows the coaching staff so see how their guys match up against outside talent, but oftentimes, these practices can get chippy.
Steelers will host Buffalo for training camp practices on Aug. 15/16. I covered both times the Steelers had these before (Bills and Lions). What I remember the most -- the fights. After 3 weeks at camp ... I highly doubt that will happen this year.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) July 15, 2024
Pittsburgh will be hosting the Bills at Acrisure Stadium the two days leading up to their preseason matchup on August 17th. This is the second straight preseason where Buffalo and Pittsburgh will clash. A joint practice with the Bills isn't all that surprising, as Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott were college teammates at William & Mary.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones (77) gets ready to block Buffalo Bills pass rusher Leonard Floyd during their 2023 AFC Wild Card matchup in Orchard Park, NY.
Pittsburgh handled Buffalo pretty easily during the preseason matchup in 2023, as they won 27-15. This was back when the Steelers' offense was firing on all cylinders before the meaningful games began. Buffalo won the more important matchup, as they ended the Steelers' season during the Wild Card Round of the 2023 playoffs. Maybe these practices will get chippy because of that recent history.
WGRZ News2
Former Steelers WR Chase Claypool during OTAs with the Bills.
Former Steelers Players Will Be Returning To Latrobe
Both Chase Claypool and Mitch Trubisky will be making their return to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2024 season. Claypool was a part of three training camps in Latrobe before being traded in the middle of the 2022 season to the Chicago Bears. Trubisky left the team more recently, as he was released following the 2023 season. Both players have rocky relationships with Pittsburgh, and it will be interesting to see how they interact with their former team. Trubisky will be a backup regardless, but there has been some hype surrounding a career resurgence from Claypool in Buffalo.
What do you think about the Steelers holding a joint practice? Let us know in the comments below!
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