Chaos Erupts During Cowboys-Saints Joint Practice

The recent joint practice between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints descended into disarray as multiple skirmishes broke out. At least six fights erupted, involving punches and even wrestling moves. Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner, son of ex-WWE wrestler Scott Steiner, executed a wrestling-style suplex on a Cowboys defender, throwing him to the ground.

Both head coaches, Kellen Moore of the Saints and Brian Schottenheimer of the Cowboys, admitted the situation exceeded acceptable limits. They contemplated calling off the practice when tensions peaked. Schottenheimer highlighted that, although the session continued, there were issues with player discipline that day.

“We kind of had agreed that if a couple of other things happened, we would cancel it, but they worked through it,” Schottenheimer said. “There’s a discipline element to playing this football game, and unfortunately we didn’t handle that very well today.”

Physical confrontations at joint practices aren’t unusual. However, this particular day surpassed the expected intensity. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk suggested a straightforward remedy: issuing fines.

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.”

Currently, the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement allows the league to fine players for fights during joint practices. Historically, fines have been imposed on teams rather than individuals. For instance, in 2024, both the Detroit Lions and New York Giants received $200,000 fines following multiple altercations in their joint practices. Notable players involved included the Giants’ Malik Nabers, Daniel Jones, and Dru Phillips, along with the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, and Kerby Joseph.

While organizational fines are more common, players can still face personal penalties. These may include team-imposed discipline, ejections, suspension from drills, or NFL-imposed financial repercussions. The 2026 preseason joint practice phase continues, leaving open the question of whether the NFL will intervene as these incidents occur.