Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers will hold a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before their Week 2 preseason game, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday.
Appearing on the Pewter Report Podcast, Bowles said the Bucs are finalizing plans to hold joint practices with both the Tennessee Titans and Steelers during training camp.
The Steelers will host the Buccaneers for a Week 2 preseason game at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m.
This will be the second consecutive season the Steelers will have participated in a joint practice. They hosted the Buffalo Bills for one last offseason, days before the Steelers met the Bills in a preseason game at Acrisure Stadium.
Last season, the joint practice was held in a closed session at Acrisure Stadium. Details for this year’s training camp schedule have not yet been released.
Before 2024, the last time the Steelers held a joint practice was with the Detroit Lions in 2016. General manager Omar Khan said last offseason that the team has been open to them, but other factors have prevented them from doing it more often.
“We always entertain a couple of them,” Khan said. “It’s just, logistically, several reasons don’t work out. Who it is, maybe, it just doesn’t work out.”
Last season, head coach Mike Tomlin said that the new kickoff rules being implemented were a specific impetus for the Steelers wanting to get a joint practice in, but he also liked the worked they got done against the Bills in general.
“The Buffalo Bills are a good dance partner. We had a really productive practice,” Tomlin said. “[Bills coach] Sean [McDermott] and I have known each other since we were kids. I just think it created a really good and competitive atmosphere while maintaining professionalism, so I’m appreciative of that.”
Tomlin does not have the same kind of relationship with Bowles that he does with McDermott, but Tampa Bay senior football consultant and Bowles’ mentor Bruce Arians was Tomlin’s first offensive coordinator with the Steelers
With many teams using their regulars less if at all during preseason games, more teams have taken to joint practices to allow their stars to get work against other NFL competition in a more-protected and controlled environment.
So it’s very possible that the two-year trend may be continuing moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers to Host Joint Practice During Preseason
