feature-image

Imago

feature-image

Imago

Dallas Cowboys hosted the New Orleans Saints for a joint practice on Tuesday. However, when the practice turned into a fight session, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer dubbed it a “fight club.” Whereas Saints head coach Kellen Moore wants the players to ignore all the “rah-rah” and focus on playing ball.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

“All the chippiness of it, not the ideal flow of a joint practice, but we got the work we need,” Moore said, per NBC Sports. “Schotty and I communicated, we know each other from working in the past, so we communicated.”

ADVERTISEMENT

A total of six fights reportedly took place. Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku threw a punch and was ejected from practice for the second time this offseason for the same reason. Saints center Erik McCoy was involved in the brawl with Ezeiruaku. Meanwhile, McCoy was also seen tossing his helmet in another brawl.

A major incident that made the session resemble a ring fight was when Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner, son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner, was pushed and punched by Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson.

Get The Huddle Newsletter. The day's biggest NFL stories — rivalries, matchups, expert analysis, power rankings, and insider draft news.

ADVERTISEMENT

As the fight escalated and other players from both teams joined in, Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson tried to attack Rechsteiner, to which the WWE prodigy responded with a wrestling-style slam on the field.

“There’s a lot of rah-rah and emotion to football, and that’s part of it. At the end of the day it’s about executing and running football plays. There’s a lot of loud people on a football field, but at the end of the day it’s about executing football plays,” Moore said. “Take all the emotion out of it, watch it without all the rah-rah to it, and we’ll get some good lessons.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Even with everything going on, both head coaches focused on the work the teams got done that day. But as incidents continued to erupt one after another, they considered stopping the session.

However, Moore also said the Saints “got some good stuff out of this.” Meanwhile, Schottenheimer did not think the Cowboys got enough good work done and was “disappointed.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“We’re going to play on the edge, and we’re not going to take . . . shit from anybody,” Schottenheimer said. “But at the same time, I don’t think [the Saints] were the only ones stirring up the shit. I think we might’ve been stirring it up as well. It was a sloppy practice all in all, and it’s got to be better.”

This marked the second joint practice of the season for both teams. Dallas previously worked out with the Los Angeles Rams, while New Orleans trained with the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, none of their other sessions escalated into the widespread chaos seen here.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to the collective bargaining agreement, players can now be held responsible and fined for fights in joint practices. For now, no team has announced any disciplinary actions for the players involved.

The Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints will now face each other in the preseason finale on Aug. 28.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Shubhi Rathore

1,250 Articles

Shubhi Rathore is an NFL writer at EssentiallySports, bringing vibrant energy and sharp storytelling to football journalism. As part of the NFL GameDay Desk, she focuses on the human stories, rivalries, and drama that define the sport beyond statistics. Her engaging work resonates with both die-hard fans and newcomers by capturing the emotions and teamwork that make each game compelling. A former advocate turned writer, Shubhi brings a unique perspective to sports journalism, combining creative writing with a research-driven approach to deliver clear, impactful, and audience-focused content. Since joining EssentiallySports, she has quickly become a key voice in NFL coverage, steadily growing as an influential presence in the dynamic world of sports media.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Antra Koul

ADVERTISEMENT