Chaotic Joint Practice Sparks Debate on Discipline in NFL

A joint practice session on Tuesday between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints descended into disorder with at least six fights emerging. The encounters saw punches thrown, helmets removed, and an unexpected wrestling move when Saints’ tight end Brock Rechsteiner, son of ex-WWE star Scott Steiner, used a suplex maneuver on a Cowboys’ defender, sending him to the ground.

In response, Saints’ coach Kellen Moore and Cowboys’ coach Brian Schottenheimer expressed disappointment over the extremity of events, stressing that while competitive spirit is encouraged, the happenings went beyond desired aggression. The coaches even weighed the possibility of halting the practice entirely. Schottenheimer remarked, “We kind of had agreed that if a couple of other things happened, we would cancel it, but they worked through it. 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.”

Physical confrontations in joint practices are not unusual as teams first meet in competitive settings. However, Tuesday’s incidents were extreme enough for Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk to propose a structured response; he suggested fines and disciplinary actions for fights during such sessions. “The NFL should exercise jurisdiction over joint practices, issuing fines (and other discipline, when necessary) for any fights that occur,” Florio explained. “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 current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the league possesses the authority to impose fines on players for fights during joint practices. Historically, penalties have been directed at teams rather than individuals. For instance, in 2024, both the Detroit Lions and New York Giants were fined $200,000 for multiple altercations during their joint practices in August. The incidents featured notable players from both teams, like the Giants’ Malik Nabers, Daniel Jones, and Dru Phillips, alongside Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, and Kerby Joseph.

Though team fines are more common, players may still encounter team-internal discipline, such as ejections, suspensions from drills, or direct financial penalties from the league. As the NFL proceeds through the 2026 preseason joint practice schedule, it remains uncertain if further incidents will emerge or if the league will take decisive action.