There have already been plenty of injuries during the 2026 NFL preseason. But now there are reports that the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints had a brawl during their joint practice on Aug. 18.
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Who Was Involved In the Brawl?
As reported by PEOPLE, Saints beat reporter Todd Graffagnini said there were around six "skirmishes" between offense and defense, with some escalating "into some very hairy situations." Watching practice from the River Ridge playing fields in Oxnard, California, he described the scenes as tense.
In one incident, undrafted Saints rookie receiver Brock Rechsteiner, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner, was seen slamming Dallas Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson to the ground.
Rechsteiner received a six-game suspension from the NFL earlier this month for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance policy. The suspension won't start until the regular season begins. However, he is still "eligible to participate in all preseason activities, including games."
A Dallas Cowboys QB Was Also in an Incident
A video shows Dak Prescott yelling and appearing to slap hands with a Saints player. He also reportedly argued with edge rusher Chase Young during the altercation.
Jon Machota, a reporter for The Athletic, posted a clip of the exchange with the caption, "Dak Prescott not happy about something."
Then, Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku was thrown out of the joint practice for throwing a punch, marking the second such incident this month.
"A little chippy, not the way we like to do business," Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters. "We gotta be better, but I got to look at the film."
He added, "We're certainly not going to take, you know, s***, from anybody, but again, it was chippy on both sides. I want our guys to play on the edge without going over the edge. One guy seems like, sounds like he might have thrown a punch, and that's why he left practice."
One reporter asked Schottenheimer if it bothered him that the Saints players were knocking players to the ground.
"At the end of the day, there were too many guys on the ground," he said. "Yeah, the answer is yes. We have a way we practice. They have a way they practice. At the end of the day, this isn't real football, and we get to play real football against them here in a couple of weeks."
The Dallas Cowboys will take on the New Orleans Saints in the preseason on Friday, Aug. 28. Judging from this practice, it could be one of the most exciting preseason games in some time.
