A joint practice between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints in Oxnard on Tuesday spiraled into at least eight separate fights, forcing head coaches Brian Schottenheimer and Kellen Moore to weigh calling the whole session off before it was through. Second-year Cowboys outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku was tossed from the field for throwing a punch, his second training camp ejection of the summer, while Saints wide receiver Ronnie Bell was carted off after being overcome by heat exhaustion following one of the scuffles.
The chaos unfolded as temperatures sat in the high 70s with unusual coastal humidity tied to El Niño, conditions that, according to AP News, likely compounded the tempers on the field. Bell was alert as trainers removed his jersey and pads before transporting him to the medical tent, the outlet reported. As reported by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, what began as chippy exchanges between the two teams escalated into team-wide skirmishes, with Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson throwing a punch after a Saints player grabbed his facemask, and staying in practice afterward.
Coach Jokes He's Running Fight Club
Schottenheimer did not mince words afterward, calling the session sloppy and saying he was disappointed by how little good work Dallas actually completed. He quipped that he was essentially in charge of fight club, per the same NBC 5 account, while noting that he and Moore had agreed they would cancel the practice outright if the fighting continued to escalate. Ezeiruaku was ejected specifically for throwing a punch at Cowboys tackle Terrence Steele, the station reported, marking the second time this camp he has been sent off for the same offense.
Kellen Moore, who spent 2019 through 2022 as Dallas' offensive coordinator before taking over as Saints head coach in 2025, worked alongside Schottenheimer to keep the practice moving rather than scrap it early, according to Yardbarker. That prior coaching relationship, the outlet noted, appears to have been a key reason the two staffs were able to talk through the incidents rather than shut things down.
A Body Slam and a Homecoming Signing
Among the wilder moments, Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner — the undrafted rookie son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner — body-slammed a Cowboys defender after having his own facemask pulled, according to Who Dat Dish. Despite the fireworks, football did happen: Dallas' first-team offense found success against the Saints defense even as it also threw an interception, and wide receiver George Pickens continued making plays, per NBC 5's report.
The practice came a day after Dallas agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with 37-year-old pass rusher Von Miller, bringing the DeSoto native home following a nine-sack season with the Washington Commanders, a total that would have led the Cowboys' own roster last year. Miller, a two-time Super Bowl champion who leads all active NFL players in career sacks, told reporters he can still get sacks and pledged he will be a great teammate. Washington won five games last season, per the same NBC 5 account.
What It Could Cost Both Franchises
Under league guidelines reinforced in 2024, the NFL can fine teams up to $200,000 for joint practice brawls and levy individual player fines exceeding $27,000 for throwing punches, a precedent set when the Detroit Lions and New York Giants were penalized for similar incidents that year, according to NFL.com. Whether Dallas or New Orleans will face similar discipline for Tuesday's melee remains to be seen.
Oxnard's Two-Decade Camp Tradition
This year marks the Cowboys' 20th season training in Oxnard after the city approved a five-year contract extension in July 2025 to keep camp at River Ridge Playing Fields through 2030, according to Visit Oxnard. Dallas' Southern California summers actually trace back to 1963, when the team first camped at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks before moving to Oxnard in 2001, as detailed by The Acorn. A 2019 city economic analysis found the camp generates roughly $3.6 million in direct local spending annually, with 98% of it coming from out-of-town visitors, per the same report.
Once the West Coast trip wraps, the Cowboys head back to North Texas for two free public practices and a drone show at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Aug. 25 and 26, as Hoodline previously detailed in prior coverage. Dallas and New Orleans will then meet again in their preseason finale at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 28, giving both sides one more shot at a cleaner rematch before the fights of Oxnard fade into camp lore.
