OXNARD, Calif. -- The joint practice session between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints devolved into a WWE-style brawl Tuesday.
Punches were thrown, helmets were tossed, and at one point, Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner, son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner, grabbed a Cowboys player and body-slammed him to the turf.
That scuffle happened after Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson punched Rechsteiner, who was then yanked around by the face mask as teammates poured in. The situation between the two teams was heated enough that Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and Saints coach Kellen Moore discussed whether to continue.
"We kind of had agreed that if a couple of other things happened, we would cancel it, but they worked through it," Schottenheimer said. "Again, they settled into it, but again, there's a discipline element to playing this football game and unfortunately we didn't handle that very well today."
Saints linebacker Pete Werner said they expected it would "be a little bit chippy" coming into practice. Saints quarterback Tyler Shough said they "felt the juice."
"I was going out there talking crap to the guys, talking a bunch. We were out there competing every single down. That's what we want, but we also have to manage the ebbs and flows of the game, too. And it felt that way. And I think we were able to really get some good work in," Shough said.
At least two fights between the Saints' offense and Cowboys' defense ended up involving several players, with groups pushing and shoving down the sideline.
"We came kind of close to crossing that [line]. I think both sides did," Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson said. "That's just the competitiveness of the sport and guys working hard."
Saints center Erik McCoy tossed a helmet in one brawl, and in another, his own helmet was lost before he and Cowboys outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku threw punches. Ezeiruaku was thrown out of practice afterward for the second time this offseason. He threw a punch earlier in training camp and was sent to the locker room. He and Schottenheimer had a conversation after that dustup, and the coach said he will have another one with him.
"Donovan's a very bright young man, and he understands that he can't hurt the football team," Schottenheimer said. "And unfortunately for him, there's two officiating crews that know that he lost his composure, but it's part of a growth mindset for him. We got to get him better and we've got the right type of leaders on this football team, myself included, Christian Parker, Quinn Williams, guys like that, that will help him do that."
There was also pushing and shoving and back-and-forth on the other field that hosted the Saints' defense and Cowboys' offense.
Moore said it seemed like things settled down toward the end of practice, and the Saints' offense and Cowboys' defense were able to get through an 11-on-11 session and a red zone session without any real issue.
"A little chippy. Not the way we like to do business," Schottenheimer said, describing the practice. "Got to be better, but I got to look at the film. We're certainly not going to take s--- from anybody, but again, it was chippy on both sides. And like I said, I want our guys to play on the edge without going over the edge."
After practice, Schottenheimer had a longer than normal meeting with the players on the field. He would not get into the details of what he said.
Neither team had a fighting issue in their other joint sessions this summer. Per collective bargaining agreement rules, players can now be fined for fights in joint practices.
The Cowboys and Rams practiced against each other with only a brief shoving match or two during the entire session, and the Saints hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars last week with no altercations. The Rams will host the Saints for a joint practice Thursday.
The Saints and Cowboys will play each other in the preseason finale Aug. 28.
