Cowboys-Saints joint practice marred by constant fighting during 'sloppy' day in Oxnard

OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer couldn’t give an honest initial assessment of how his team performed in Tuesday’s joint practice with the New Orleans Saints. He was too busy.

“Right now,” Schottenheimer said, “I’m in charge of fight club.”

And unlike Fight Club, Schottenheimer didn’t mind talking about it. He had to, considering how much of a storyline it was Tuesday. 

The Cowboys and Saints quickly went from chippy to fighting on multiple occasions. Brief dustups soon evolved into team-wide skirmishes, including multiple punches thrown. Cowboys second-year linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku was thrown out after officials saw him throw a punch, marking the second time that’s happened during training camp. 

Not sure how much longer this practice will go. Another fight between the Cowboys and Saints. pic.twitter.com/hJ2sMVGeOv

— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) August 18, 2026

There were so many fights — at least a handful, in addition to multiple other skirmishes — that it was hard to keep track of every player involved and everything they might’ve done. Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson also threw a punch, as seen on a video captured by The Dallas Morning News, but he stayed in the practice. It was preceded by a Saints player grabbing and not letting go of his facemask. 

During one of the fights, Saints center Erik McCoy grabbed a Cowboys' helmet and chucked it high into the sky. 

Big fight between the Cowboys defense and Saints offense. One Saints player chucked a Cowboys’ player helmet. pic.twitter.com/fudi2abRqL

— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) August 18, 2026

Schottenheimer confirmed he and Saints head coach Kellen Moore — a former quarterback and coach for the Cowboys — met at one point and talked about ending practice early if the fighting pace continued. Ultimately, it never got to that point. 

While Schottenheimer made it clear they won’t tolerate the fighting, he also wanted to make something else clear. 

“We’re going to play on the edge and we’re not going to take ... s--- from anybody,” Schottenheimer said. “But at the same time, I don’t think [the Saints] were the only ones stirring up the s---. I think we might’ve been stirring it up as well. It was a sloppy practice all and all and it’s got to be better.”

In theory, it was an opportunity that wasn’t fully take advantage of for the Cowboys. The Cowboys likely won’t play starters in either of the next two preseason games. It marked a final prerequisite before the starters play against the New York Giants.

And sure, there were moments where both the offense and defense played well. Safeties Jalen Thompson and Reddy Steward both had interceptions. The pass rush and run defense played well and physically. On offense, wide receivers George Pickens and Jonathan Mingo both had long touchdowns. There were also teaching moments, including how they played against Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, who had a bunch of catches against a Cowboys defense that’s been stout so far. 

There was enough fodder for film review. Initially, however, the takeaway was about the fights. 

“Nobody wants this,” Schottenheimer said. “We want to get the work in. I thought it settled down and it was very chippy early on, but it was unfortunate.

“Our football team needs this work, and overall, I was disappointed in the work today because I didn’t think we got enough good work.”

There was one positive the Cowboys found amid the fighting, however. Some of the early dustups happened when offensive linemen or tight ends came in to protect a ball carrier who was taken to the ground. All of the skirmishes included nearly the entire team for a reason. As Schottenheimer said, if something was stirred up on either side, none of the players sat back and watched.

“We talk about brotherhood all the time on our team,” Thompson said, “and if we see a guy in a scuffle or anything like that, our job is to go over there and try and help it out and try to break it up as best as we can.”

Thompson had a good example. During a fight that started with a Saints receiver holding Carson’s facemask, Thompson and the rest of his teammates sprinted over. Later in the scuffle, Thompson was taken down with a wrestling-style move by Saints tight end Moliki Matavao.  

Because of the fights, the joint practice with the Saints was a lot more intense than the one the Cowboys had with the Rams last week. There were no fights on that day. 

“I feel like at the end of training camps that’s usually how it goes,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot of chippiness and a lot of guys running to the ball and hitting. We’re ready to play now. We’re ready to get it started.”

And Schottenheimer hopes they can stop talking about Fight Club. 

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This article originally published at Cowboys-Saints joint practice marred by constant fighting during 'sloppy' day in Oxnard.