Soon after the NFL released its preseason schedule, reports started to surface that the New England Patriots were in preliminary discussions about scheduling joint practice session. The team talked to its week one and two opponents – the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans – to potentially join forces.
While nothing has been made official with the Texans yet, the Patriots announced earlier today that they will indeed hold joint practices when the Jaguars visit Foxboro. Leading up to the preseason opener on August 10, the two teams will conduct two session together; the first on August 7, then second on August 8.
While the two teams do not have a lot of history, two of the most important people in each organization do: Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin both worked on the same New York Giants staff from 1988 to 1990. Seeing their teams agree to practice together does therefore not come as a surprise.
Overall, the 2017 training camp will mark the sixth straight year that New England holds joint practices. Last season, the team held two, hosting both the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears. With the Texans still out there as a potential sparing partner, the Patriots might ultimately hold two joint sessions this year as well.