At least seven fights erupted at theDallas Cowboys' joint practice with theNew Orleans Saints. One in particular among those could only be described as a full-blown brawl, which ended with Saints' rookie wide receiver Brock Rechsteiner suplexing Cowboys' new veteran safetyJalen Thompsonas air horns blasted in a hopeless attempt to stop them. These joint practice fights have notably divided the NFL community, with one half praising the intensity and the other half criticizing the lack of discipline. Pat McAfee landed somewhere in the middle when he discussed the issue on his show.
"These are two teams with good cultures,"he said on thePat McAfee Show. "Dallas Cowboysrunning sprints after practice on their own accord. Obviously, if one of them gets in a fight, they're all going to come.New Orleans Saints, everybody's talking about how happy they are, how together they are. One of them gets in a fight, they're all together. There's some good we can take away from these fights. This seems like a together bunch. This seems like a group that is very together.
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"Now, obviously, throwing punches and haymakers at helmets and non-helmets and belly-to-back suplexes and German suplexes and things can lead to injuries, and it can also lead to the question, 'You've got enough energy to fight each other. Are we not practicing hard enough?"
Per clips circulating on social media, Rechsteiner had a heated exchange with Cowboys'Caelen Carson, who responded by grabbing Rechsteiner's facemask and pulling him roughly. Both their teammates gathered around them, and the fight ensued. Jalen Thompson tackled Rechsteiner, but the latter grabbed him, pulled him to the sideline, and suplexed him as Thompson landed roughly on his right arm.
August 28, 2025: Jacksonville State Gamecocks wide receiver Brock Rechsteiner 3 is unable to make the catch while being defended by UCF Knights defensive back DJ Bell 5 during 2nd half NCAA, College League, USA football game between the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and the UCF Knights. UCF defeated Jacksonville 17-10 at Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, FL. Romeo T Guzman/CSM Orlando USA – ZUMAcg2_ 20250828_faf_cg2_055 Copyright: xRomeoxGuzmanx
The "not practising hard enough" question from Pat McAfee lands on both squads. The Cowboys have already proven they can take this energy to the field with their first preseason victory over theSeattle Seahawks. The Saints, meanwhile, have tasted defeat at the hands of theJacksonville Jaguars, and that has only added fuel to their tempers. As for Rechsteiner's suplex on Thompson, that's only going to help him further his career if football doesn't pan out.
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Brock is the son of former WCW and WWE legend Scott Steiner. Scott, alongside his brother Rick, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Brock, in turn, is already enrolled in the WWE Next In Line Program, and at the Saints' rookie minicamp earlier this offseason, he revealed he's eventually going to be a wrestler.
"I want to pursue football as long as I can, play as long as I can, but once I'm done, I'll get into wrestling, too," Brock had said.
The obvious injury risks aside, even throwing a punch on game day can get you ejected from the field or cut from the roster entirely. To make matters worse,Rechsteiner has already been suspendedfor the first six games of the regular season for a different matter.
DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 04: Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer walking the sideline near the end ofthe fourth quarter during the game between Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions on December 4, 2025 at Ford Field in Detroit, MI /CSM Detroit United States – ZUMAc04_ 20251204_zma_c04_045 Copyright: xAllanxDranbergx
"There's some edginess to football," Moore said. "We get to learn from how this one navigated, and we got some good stuff out of this."
"That is not the way we like to do business; gotta be better," Schotty said. "But I got a look at the film. Now, we're certainly not gonna take sh*t 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."
Both teams are set to face off in Dallas for their third preseason game. With tempers, helmets, punches, and suplexes flying high at camp, it'll be interesting to see how these two teams battle it out on the gridiron. But for now, just like Pat McAfee, many around the league will continue to critique them.
