'Fighting' Steelers backup QB among Josh Allen’s goals for upcoming joint practice

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has clear (and comical) goals for the team's upcoming joint practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Kyle Silagyi | Aug 13, 2024

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The referees may have their hands full when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Buffalo Bills for a joint practice on August 15, as quarterback Josh Allen has his sights firmly set on an opposing player.

The Buffalo signal-caller joked during his Tuesday press conference that one of his goals for the upcoming joint practice is to square off against one of his former teammates and close friends, a contest that, on paper, would be confusing to keep track of.

“Fighting with Kyle Allen,” Allen said when asked what he was looking to get out of the practice. “We’re going to stage a fight.”

The two passers (who aren’t related) have been close friends for years, meeting in the leadup to the 2018 NFL Draft. They’ve remained close in the six subsequent years, with Kyle Allen even spending the 2023 NFL season as the other Allen’s backup in Orchard Park. He inked a one-year deal with the Steelers in April, with this Thursday’s practice serving as the two Allens’ sole opportunity to share the field with each other this year; Buffalo’s Allen has a two-inch height and 30-pound weight advantage over Pittsburgh’s, so if a jovial fight were to break out, we’ll give the edge to Josh.

Allen went on to provide an actual answer to the question, stating that it’ll be nice to glean information from new faces with fresh perspectives.

“It’s different players that you’re going against, we know these guys, we’ve played them quite a few times the last few years,” Allen said. “They’ve got one of the greatest coaches of all time and some really special players on defense, that’s good to go up and practice against them and kind of gauge and see where you’re at.”

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Allen references Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, who has a well-documented history with Buffalo sideline boss Sean McDermott; both Tomlin and McDermott are alumni of The College of William & Mary, both playing for the school’s football team in 1994. Allen also references “special” Steelers defenders like T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, players who he’s eager to share information with after Thursday’s practice.

“Getting with some of the guys on their defense and just picking their brains,” Allen said. “. . . They’ve got some guys on their side that I feel like I’m familiar with that I can talk to and just kind of pick their brain, so I think that’s the fun part about it.”

Thursday’s practice will lead into this weekend’s preseason Week 2 clash between the Bills and Steelers. This will be the final time the two teams will see each other this season (unless they meet in the playoffs), which will mark the end of a trend assuming it manifests; Buffalo and Pittsburgh have faced off against each other in either the regular-or-postseason in each campaign since 2019.

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