The Washington Redskins announced today that they will host three days of joint training camp practices with the Houston Texans Aug. 6-8 in Richmond, Va.

The Houston Texans are coming to Richmond.

The Washington Redskins announced today that they will host three days of joint training camp practices with the Texans Aug. 6-8 at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center.

The joint practice sessions -- all of which will be open and free to the public -- will provide added exposure for the team's annual training camp in Richmond, as the visit coincides with the Texans' feature appearance on HBO's HARD KNOCKS.

Times and details for each joint practice session will be announced at a later date. All other training camp dates will be released at another time.

"We are looking forward to working with the Houston Texans in preparation for our 2015 season at our world-class Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center," Redskins President Bruce Allen said.

Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe said the Redskins' training camp in Richmond "is a great opportunity for fans to connect with their favorite team and to experience the wonderful attractions, food and recreation that Central Virginia has to offer."

"I look forward to attending camp for the third year in a row and watching the Redskins and the Texans get ready for this season," McAuliffe said.

At the city level, Richmond mayor Dwight C. Jones said welcoming two NFL teams for a training camp experience is "a clear benefit of our state-of-the-art training facility."

"Welcoming the Houston Texans to Richmond, Va., for practice sessions with the Washington Redskins is thrilling," Jones said. "We'll also be able to further showcase Richmond to a worldwide audience with the Texans being featured on HBO's award-winning sports series, HARD KNOCKS. All I can say is Richmond is a winning summertime destination."

Peter Bernard, CEO of Bon Secours Virginia Health System, said "we look forward to welcoming a bit of Texas to Virginia."

"Our partnership with the Washington Redskins continues to be one that benefits our community," Bernard said. "Being able to showcase the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center as well as Virginia on a national platform is an added bonus."

Joint practices 'a great experience'
Last season, more than 60,000 fans visited the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center during three days of the Redskins' joint practices with the New England Patriots.

Redskins head coach Jay Gruden considered those practices against the Patriots "a great experience."

"It exposed some things that we really have to work on as a staff and it exposed some things we have to work on as players," Gruden said. "Overall, we competed very well."

Gruden said the ability to study another team's practice habits can be invaluable for his own team down the road.

"Sometimes we have a different approach, but to see another team attack our defense and go after our coverages and our fronts within the running game and passing game was great for our defense," Gruden said. "Same thing for our offense. Instead of going against our defense every day, seeing another style of defense, more of a man-to-man, tight man-to-man, some mixture in coverages, a couple different blitzes – it was great for us. It's great for Robert [Griffin III], it's great for the receivers and it was great for the coaches."

For the players, joint practices give them the chance not only to compete against a different team, but invaluable opportunities to bond before the preseason and regular season get underway.

"I think it gives us a chance to kind of grow together," Redskins left tackle Trent Williams said last year. "Instead of looking at practice of offense versus defense you kind of look at it as the Redskins versus the Patriots. I think it gives us time to help build camaraderie at camp."

Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall said "going against our guys can get a little stagnant at times because we kind of know what they're going to do." A different team, however, brings its own brand of football -- double moves, scramble drills and attitudes.

"It's just a chance for us to go out there and work our technique against some new guys, some guys we don't get to see every day," Hall said.

Be sure to check back with Redskins.com for all the latest on the Washington Redskins 2015 Training Camp.

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