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Bills to hold joint training camp practice with AFC North team this summer

The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers will hold a joint practice before their preseason game next month.

Kyle Silagyi

Dec 15, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (left) and Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott (right) greet each other after the game at Heinz Field. Buffalo won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (left) and Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott (right) greet each other after the game at Heinz Field. Buffalo won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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There’s an age-old adage that relates to self-improvement, a quote that stresses the importance of competing against the best in order to strengthen your ability: “Iron sharpens iron.”

We’ll twist that phrase just a tad with regard to this story: “Steel sharpens… (insert whatever Buffalo-centric replacement you’d like, we just couldn’t pass up a Steel City reference).”

The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers will participate in a joint practice as part of this year’s training camp, the NFL disclosed in a league-wide email sent Monday morning. The practice will take place on August 15, two days before the Bills are set to take on the Steelers in their second preseason game of the year. The practice will take place at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.

Related: Bills earn middling retrospective grade for offseason Stefon Diggs trade

It makes sense that Buffalo and Pittsburgh would be interested in a joint practice, especially considering it takes place two days before their preseason contest. Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Steelers sideline boss Mike Tomlin also have a well-documented history with each other; both coaches are alumni of the College of William & Mary, both playing for the school’s football team in 1994.

An interesting player to watch at the joint practice will be Buffalo wideout Chase Claypool, who was drafted by the Steelers in the 2020 NFL Draft and recently looked to be a long-term piece for the club. He tallied 889 scrimmage yards and 11 total touchdowns in his rookie season but quickly fell out of favor due to character concerns and the emergence of other receivers. Pittsburgh traded Claypool to the Chicago Bears midway through the 2022 campaign; he was traded to the Miami Dolphins following an underwhelming stint in Chicago and now finds himself fighting to elongate his NFL career in Buffalo.

The Bills report to their own training camp at Rochester’s St. John Fisher University on July 23, with the first public practice kicking off on July 24.

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI

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