Browns and Bills to Scrimmage Each Other in Training Camp

Earlier this week, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reported that the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills will hold two joint practices against each other near the beginning of training camp this year, leading up to a preseason game between the two squads. The joint practices would take place at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, while the preseason game would be hosted in Cleveland.

The #Bills and #Browns will scrimmage for 2 days early in training camp at St. John Fisher, then play a preseason game in Cleveland.

— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) March 24, 2015

Exact dates and times aren't yet known for the joint practices because the league does not release the preseason schedule until next month.

The last time the Cleveland Browns scrimmaged with another team in training camp was a decade ago in 2004 when they did it against the Buffalo Bills under Butch Davis. Since then, there have been so many coaching changes that the pattern has usually gone like this: in year one, the coaches just want to settle in, and then after that, we either get a new head coach in or the coach just isn't motivated enough to put a scrimmage together.

Last year, head coach Mike Pettine tried to organize a scrimmage with the Washington Redskins leading up to our preseason game against them, but they couldn't do it because they were already going to have joint practices with the New England Patriots. Buffalo is a natural fit to practice with Cleveland, given the close proximity and Pettine's connections to them. The only downside to the joint practices not being in Cleveland is that it likely takes away two training camp sessions that fans could have enjoyed in Berea. It will give the players a beneficial experience, though, to be on the road and getting to be more physical with players who aren't your teammates.