Chaos Erupts in Joint Practice Between Cowboys and Saints

Tuesday’s joint practice between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints descended into disorder. At least six fights broke out, with punches flying and helmets removed. Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner, son of former WWE star Scott Steiner, executed a wrestling-style suplex on a Cowboys defender, knocking him to the turf.

Saints coach Kellen Moore and Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer expressed concern, acknowledging that while competitive spirit is welcome, events went too far. They considered canceling the practice. “We kind of had agreed that if a couple of other things happened, we would cancel it, but they worked through it,” Schottenheimer said. He noted a lack of discipline on the field.

Physicality in joint practices is expected as opposing teams meet competitively. However, Tuesday’s practice exceeded normal limits. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested fines as a solution. “The NFL should exercise jurisdiction over joint practices, issuing fines (and other discipline, when necessary) for any fights that occur,” Florio wrote. “That would end it. At a minimum, it would give cooler heads a very good reason to prevail, if/when things heat up.”

Under the NFL’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the league can fine players for fighting during joint sessions. Historically, fines target organizations rather than individual players. In 2024, the Detroit Lions and New York Giants received $200,000 fines after several fights during combined practices. Notable players, including the Giants’ Malik Nabers, Daniel Jones, Dru Phillips, and the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, and Kerby Joseph, were involved.

While teams are usually fined, players face internal team discipline, ejections, suspensions from drills, or direct financial penalties from the league. As the NFL progresses through the 2026 preseason joint practice schedule, the frequency of incidents raises questions about league intervention.