Training camps always come with a little extra fire, as players vie to make the final roster. For the Dallas Cowboys, Monday and Tuesday marked their first padded practices, and as such, more physical contact was expected. Only, it got a little out of hand quickly.

Defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku had a brief scuffle with right tackle Terence Steele during Tuesday’s training in Oxnard, California, when he threw a punch at the six-year veteran. The whole situation ended with head coach Brian Schottenheimer standing by his promise to enforce lines. But the ejection could cost the second-year potential star in the making for two reasons as he enters a crucial year.

Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill Jr. reported from Day 5 of the training camp that Ezeiruaku was removed from the field after the tussle. According to Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan, he spoke with Dallas’ Vice President of Player Personnel, Will McClay, before Senior Director of Football Operations Todd Williams walked him off the field.

Schottenheimer has not yet revealed what led to the fight, but the edge rusher likely started it, as he was the only one removed. However, entering year two, he has a lot to lose if he continues with the behavior that gets him ejected.

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For starters, Ezeiruaku impressed many with his versatility and speed off the edge as a rookie, making him a worthy candidate to join the starting lineup across from Rashan Gary. However, he could not manage any multi-sack game in 2025. That’s his goal under the new defensive coordinator Christian Parker now. But he has another thing to take care of before that.

While Ezeiruaku is more likely to be a starter come September, the Cowboys’ No. 23 overall pick from the 2026 NFL Draft, Malachi Lawrence, could become a threat if Ezeiruaku fails to stay on the field. The more concerning fact, however, is that this incident has now become part of a pattern for Ezeiruaku:
In their very first practice earlier in July, Ezeiruaku got into a scuffle with tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. During team drills, the two were seen shoving each other. Then, Schottenheimer didn’t mind the energy. 
“We’re not here to play patty cake. We want guys who compete and aren’t afraid to mix it up,” the head coach told the reporters after that practice.

According to Collin County Jail records, he was arrested on January 11 on the southbound lanes of the Dallas North Tollway in Plano on a reckless driving charge, a Class B misdemeanor. He was released the same day after a $500 bond with conditions was posted.

These incidents come after Schottenheimer had already set the mark of discipline on the Cowboys team last season.

“There are going to be those events that happen during a game that, if you throw a punch, you’re getting kicked out of the game,” Schottenheimer said last year, during his first training camp in charge, via DallasCowboys.com.

What’s interesting is that Ezeiruaku has somehow been getting on Schottenheimer’s bad side since the team drafted him with the 44th pick last year.

Ezeiruaku continues to get in trouble with Schottenheimer

Last year, the DE entered the 2025 NFL Draft as a high-potential prospect despite slipping to the second round. Schottenheimer didn’t have any soft spot for him, though.

As he practiced a holdout over contract disputes with the team, eyeing a fully guaranteed deal, Schottenheimer issued a strict ultimatum for him.

“Donovan’s a tremendous talent, but we’re building a team here,” Schottenheimer said, per ESPN. “If you’re not on the field with us, you’re not part of the plan. Show up and work, or we’ll move on. It’s that simple.”

The second-round pick from the 2025 draft ultimately signed a four-year, $10.1 million rookie deal with roughly 80% guaranteed. But if that wasn’t enough, he also had a heated moment during last year’s regular season.

None of this is to say that Schottenheimer doesn’t like what he sees from the second-year player. In fact, in last year’s training camp, the head coach had a handful of praises for the player.

“The timing of his footwork for a rookie, the ability to take two steps and up and under, is dynamic,” Schottenheimer said in July last year. “His pass rush adjustments and how he can react off of how a guy plays him, whether you use an inside hand or an outside hand, punch, is impressive.

“We’re seeing what we loved about him on film and just the speed and the effortlessness that it takes to rush the passer is really good, but he also, again, to his credit, he’s more than just the one trick pony, that’s the pass rusher man he can set the edge with that length that he has, and he’s having a really good camp.”

This year, too, Schottenheimer had praised his return days earlier, saying after Day 1 that Ezeiruaku looked like his old self, logging three would-be sacks in that opening practice.

He finished 2025 with 40 total tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble across all 17 games, production that made him one of the top rookie edge rushers in the league. He’s also been open about the intensity he and his teammates bring to camp reps, even before Tuesday’s incident.

“We’re competitors, that’s all it is. I’m a hot guy, he gets hot too. We compete, we go back and forth, that’s what’s going to make us great,” Ezeiruaku said, describing the daily battles he and other Cowboys have been having in camp.

Pro Football Focus has ranked Ezeiruaku in the top five rookies across multiple stats, including pressure, win rate, hits, and hurries.

That tension at one position is only part of the bigger picture as camp rolls on, though, and the roster is shaping up in other spots too.

Where things stand for Dallas as training camp rolls on

On July 28, the team confirmed no player would begin camp on the PUP or NFI list, notable given that both Ezeiruaku and cornerback DaRon Bland came in fresh off offseason surgeries, per the Cowboys’ official site.

Safety P.J. Locke had missed three straight sessions with a hyperextended knee but returned to the field Tuesday, good news for a secondary that needs all the depth it can get. On offense, running backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah have both drawn early praise.

“Jaydon Blue has been having a very strong start to Cowboys training camp, and Phil Mafah is really standing out today in the second padded practice,” Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com wrote.

Dallas is going to need its backfield to carry more weight this season, and both are making an early case.

As for Ezeiruaku, Tuesday’s ejection won’t change his standing on this roster long term, but it sent a message that Schottenheimer is willing to hold the line even with players he’s publicly praised. He’ll get his next chance to show where things stand when the Cowboys open the preseason at Seattle on August 15. But Ezeiruaku has already promised one thing:

“I feel very explosive.”