A joint practice session between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints in Oxnard, California, descended into a series of fights Tuesday that at one point featured a Saints tight end body-slamming a Cowboys player and helmets being thrown across the field.
The confrontations were significant enough that Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and Saints coach Kellen Moore discussed whether to cancel the session. They ultimately decided to continue after agreeing that further incidents would end the day, and the practice concluded without the situation escalating beyond what had already occurred.
Among the most notable incidents, Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson punched Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner, who was yanked by the face mask as teammates joined in. Rechsteiner, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner, then grabbed a Cowboys player and body-slammed him to the turf. Center Erik McCoy threw a helmet in one confrontation and lost his own helmet in another, during which he and Cowboys edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku exchanged punches.
Ezeiruaku was ejected from practice afterward. It was the second time this offseason he has been removed from a practice for throwing a punch. Schottenheimer said he will have another conversation with Ezeiruaku and described him as a very bright young man who understands he cannot hurt the football team. The coach said Ezeiruaku has the right kind of leaders around him to help him grow past these incidents.
How both coaches described it
Schottenheimer told reporters the practice was chippy, not the way he likes to do business, and said his team has to be better. He acknowledged that both sides contributed to the atmosphere and said his message to his team is to play on the edge without going over it. He held an extended meeting with players on the field after practice and did not share what was discussed.
Moore told reporters that things appeared to settle toward the end of the session and that both offenses and defenses were able to get through 11-on-11 and red zone work without a significant incident.
A linebacker said going in they expected things to be a little chippy. The Saints’ quarterback said the juice was there and that both sides were competing hard on every down, though he acknowledged they need to manage the competitive energy better. A Cowboys safety acknowledged both sides came close to crossing a line and attributed it to the competitive nature of the sport.
The context and the consequences
Neither franchise had experienced significant altercations during their other joint practice sessions this summer. The team practiced against the Los Angeles Rams with only minor shoving incidents, and the Saints hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars the previous week without any notable confrontations.
Under current collective bargaining agreement rules, players can now be fined for fights during joint practices. The Cowboys and Saints will play each other in the preseason finale on Aug. 28.
The Rams will host the Saints for a joint practice Thursday.
The WWE subplot
The body slam by Rechsteiner provided the most shareable moment of the day. His father Scott Steiner is a WWE Hall of Famer known for his athletic and aggressive in-ring style, and the son apparently carries some of that same physicality. A body slam in the middle of a football practice fight lands differently when it comes from a player with that particular family background.
Joint practices are designed to give teams competitive work against different opponents without the injury risk of an actual game. Tuesday’s session served its purpose in terms of competitive intensity, though perhaps more so than either coaching staff intended.
