OXNARD, Calif. — Fights kept breaking out during Tuesday’s joint practice between the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints. Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant both said afterward that they spent those moments pulling teammates out.
Tuesday was the last open practice of camp in Oxnard, and the second joint session after Dallas traveled to Woodland Hills to face the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 11.
“It’s just football. It’s just competitiveness, bro,” Thompson said. “Guys out here working. We’re at the end of training camp, so you know what I mean? I feel like at the end of training camps, that’s usually how it goes. There’s a lot of chippiness and a lot of guys running to the ball and hitting. So we ready to play now. We ready to get it started.”
Thompson signed a three-year, $33 million contract in March after seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He has 578 tackles, 9 interceptions, and 2 sacks in his career. A hip injury cost him practice time in early August. He was back in full pads on Aug. 9.
“We talk about brotherhood in our team,” Thompson explained. “And if we see [a] scuffle or anything like [that], our job is to go over there and try to help out and try to break it up as best as we can.”
Brian Schottenheimer On Where The Line Is For The Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer worked between both fields and said afterward that Dallas did not get enough good work out of the session.
“Look, we’re always trying to protect,” Schottenheimer said. “Our rule is to, hey, go grab a teammate. Go grab a same-color jersey. These guys, the brotherhood is real. You’re not gonna mess with us, but, big but, you can’t hurt the football team. And when we lose a player or we get penalties and things like that, that’s where you have to draw the line as the head coach.”
Donovan Ezeiruaku was thrown out of the practice for throwing a punch, the second time this month he has been removed from a session. Schottenheimer said he did not see it and had it reported to him.
The Cowboys have not hit another team in a game yet this preseason. Dallas held its starters out of the 17-7 win at the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 15. The Saints practiced against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 13 and play at the Rams on Saturday.
“I think we’re real ready, bro,” Thompson added. “I mean, we practice that all the time, just running to the ball, green through the white, and all that stuff. Obviously, we can’t hit our own teammates, so when we get somebody else in here, it gets a little chippy.”
Cobie Durant On Getting Back To The Work
Durant is in his first camp with Dallas after signing a one-year deal on March 13 worth up to $5.5 million. He started 15 of 17 games for the Rams last season and finished with 40 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 7 passes defensed. The Rams took him in the fourth round in 2022 out of South Carolina State.
“We just got to build on it, keep the energy going,” Durant said. “Of course we want less fights so we can get to work. But our coaches talk about brotherhood, and it’s a brotherhood out here.”
Dallas gave up a league-high 30.1 points per game in 2025. Its 251.5 passing yards allowed per game were also the worst in the league. Christian Parker took over as defensive coordinator in January. The Cowboys signed both Thompson and Durant in March, then traded up for Caleb Downs at No. 11 in April.
The Cowboys play at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday at 9 p.m. CT. The preseason finale against New Orleans comes Aug. 28 at AT&T Stadium.
