Cowboys-Saints fight: Schottenheimer reacts as joint practices face scrutiny

Punches were thrown, helmets came off, and at one point a Saints player suplexed a Cowboys player onto the turf.

The latest in a series of scuffles at joint practices, yesterday's event has led to scrutiny over whether such sessions should even exist.

Here, DAZN News explores what happened and weighs in on the debate.

What happened at the Cowboys-Saints joint practice?

Joint practices are meant to be about controlled aggression, a step up from padded, team-only work without the safety risks of an actual game.

On Tuesday in Oxnard, several fights broke out, one of which began when Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson punched Saints wide receiver Brock Rechsteiner.

Rechsteiner then drew on his WWE roots to throw Dallas safety Jalen Thompson to the turf in what resembled a suplex.

Things got heated enough that Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer and New Orleans coach Kellen Moore discussed cutting the practice short.

"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."

"But again, I don't think we were the only culprits," he added.

"It was more about mindset, mentality, ability to refocus when bad stuff happens," Schottenheimer went on to say.

"Again, we're going to play on the edge. And we're not going to take, I'll say the word again, s--- from anybody…It was a sloppy practice all in all, and it's got to be better."

Tyler Shough craves the intensity

Tyler Kaufman / Stringer

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough wasn't in any mood to apologise for what transpired.

"I was going out there talking crap to the guys, talking a bunch. We were out there competing every single down," he said post-practice.

"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," he continued.

Divided opinion on joint practices

Former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz has questioned the value of joint practices, raising safety concerns.

"It's time to end these joint practices. What is getting accomplished? Tons of fights. Ton of injuries," he said in a post on X.

But ESPN Analyst Louis Riddick disagrees, clearly tired of the annual debate.

Are joint practices worth it?

DAZN NFL writer Jason Abbey

It's clearly not ideal that fights have broken out in so many joint practices. There have been scuffles in at least five sessions by my count so far.

But contrary to Schwartz's claim, I'm unaware of any serious injuries resulting from these skirmishes, at least this year.

Teams know safety is paramount, and they wouldn't risk injuring players if they didn't value the intensity and competition that joint practices offer.

Coach Schottenheimer is right to be disappointed in what transpired, but the fact that these teams keep coming back for more says it all.