During the first week of joint practices at NFL training camps, one player had to be carted off the field, and two teams were fined $200,000 each for excessive fighting.
These incidents support the growing idea that joint practice sessions might not need to last more than one day. While nearly 80% of the 2023 joint practices were two days long, this year, more than two-thirds of the sessions are just one day.
“One, to me, is plenty,” New York Jets coach Robert Saleh said.
The concern with two-day joint practices is that the second day often becomes more intense and raises the risk of injuries.
Atlanta wide receiver Rondale Moore was carted off the field with a season-ending knee injury on Wednesday while the Falcons practiced against the Miami Dolphins for the second consecutive day.
On the same day, the NFL fined the New York Giants and Detroit Lions $200,000 each due to multiple fights that occurred over their two days of joint practices.
The NFL sent out a memo last month stating that fights and unprofessional behavior at joint practices would not be tolerated. Packers coach Matt LaFleur mentioned earlier in the offseason that “sometimes it becomes a wrestling match out there or an MMA fight” when joint practices go into a second day.
“Every time I’ve ever had a joint practice, the first day will be a little rough and then the second one ends in a fight,” Packers running back Josh Jacobs said.
The issues during the Falcons-Dolphins and Giants-Lions joint practices this week didn’t necessarily result from both practices being two days long.
Moore’s injury appeared to be non-contact, so it could have happened if the Falcons had practiced alone. Much of the fighting between the Giants and Lions, including one fight that injured Detroit cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, occurred on their first practice day rather than the second.
NFL teams are allowed to hold joint practices for up to four days during training camp, and these can be split up however they like. For example, the Los Angeles Rams are having four separate one-day sessions against three different teams.
The Rams had their first joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday and will practice with them again on August 14. The Rams also practiced with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday and have a session with the Houston Texans scheduled for August 22.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford mentioned after Sunday’s practice that he prefers having joint practices last only one day.
“I think there’s probably less fights, which is good,” Stafford said. “You know, the second day is when everybody kind of gets a little charged up and gets going.”
The second day has also seen some significant injuries.
Three years ago, Saleh’s Jets were having a second day of joint practices with the Packers when defensive end Carl Lawson ruptured his Achilles tendon and safety Zane Lewis injured his knee, causing both players to miss the entire season.
Last year, Saleh cut the Jets’ two scheduled two-day joint practices down to one day each. The Jets practiced against the Washington Commanders on Thursday and have one-day sessions with the Carolina Panthers on August 15 and the Giants on August 21.
“Very rarely do you ever have a football player go through that much volume and intensity in back-to-back days,” Saleh said. “So you’re not only subjecting our guys to the injury on Day 2, but also it’s just very little production because they’re just seeing red and they’re fighting and they’re avoiding their techniques.”
This was evident during the Packers’ joint practices with the New England Patriots last year. After the first day went smoothly, three fights broke out just five minutes into their second joint practice.
New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen explained why fights are more common on the second day.
“You have the first day’s practice,” Allen said. “One team or the other is going to feel like they got the better of the other team. Those coaches are going to go yell at their players. Their players are going to be pissed off, and then that’s how that stuff happens, right?”
Some people don’t think joint practices are necessary at all. The Kansas City Chiefs, who are the current Super Bowl champions, and the Las Vegas Raiders are the only teams not having any joint practices this year.
“I think the way we go about it — I think we go fast, we practice hard, we do those things amongst ourselves, and the guys challenge each other,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “And I don’t think there’s a better way to do it, if your guys are willing to do that.”
Packers safety Xavier McKinney mentioned that he doesn’t like joint practices because there’s too much fighting and the action on the field is often “all vanilla stuff” since neither team wants to show their full playbook. McKinney said that if joint practices do happen, they shouldn’t last more than one day.
“Once you see the first practice, you’re like, ‘OK, you’ve seen me. I’ve seen you. We don’t need to keep doing this,’” McKinney said.
However, some people see joint practices as a useful way to prepare during the preseason.
“I thought the two days were effective,” Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said Wednesday. “It’s really important to see different looks, just seeing different nickel pressures, corner pressures, coverage structures, fronts.
It creates a lot of good conversations. The meeting time after these practices is very productive, to talk through it all.”
