The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially making the trip up north to hold joint practice with an AFC squad.
In a recent appearance on the PewterReport podcast, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles revealed that the team was in talks to hold joint practice with the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers before their respective preseason matchups at home and then on the road. While the Titans haven’t said anything about a potential joint practice with the Bucs in Tampa Bay, the Pittsburgh Steelers have now officially confirmed their joint practice.
The Bucs will hold joint practice with the Steelers on Aug. 14 in Pittsburgh. It will only be one day, and then the two teams will square off in the Bucs’ second preseason matchup two days later on Aug. 16.
The Bucs and Steelers have one notable tie — longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin won a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in 2002 as the team’s defensive backs coach, enabling him to get his head coaching job. Additionally, Buccaneers outside linebackers coach Larry Foote played for the Steelers for 10 years, so he’ll get a homecoming of his own.
The last time the Buccaneers played the Steelers in the regular season was in 2022, when the Bucs went to Pittsburgh and lost 20-18. The two teams did meet up in the preseason in 2023, however, and the Bucs also lost that expedition game 27-17.
