Joint practices are a great opportunity for NFL teams to get some practice reps at something much closer to game speed, which is why teams do them. They are also a great opportunity for players to get into fights, as the juices get flowing in the hot summer sun and chippiness is almost a guarantee when two teams face each other over and over on the practice field.
On Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders met for joint practice and it didn’t take long for some frustrations to boil over, with the unsurprising combatants being on the outside between receivers and defensive backs, where trash talk is most prevalent. The first dustup of the day saw Commanders DB Emmanuel Forbes and Ravens WR Tylan Wallace exchange punches after a completion on the outside to Wallace, with Forbes wrapping up and trying to strip the ball. From there, the two threw multiple punches at each other — which is always funny when guys are wearing helmets.
Punches thrown at Ravens-Commanders practice 😳
(via @ravens) pic.twitter.com/9j6oksuuWz
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 15, 2023
NBC4 Sports captured a different angle of that skirmish that saw the two teams come together after the punches were thrown, as well as one happening on another field between the Ravens defense and the Commanders offense, as Washington’s top receiver Terry McLaurin took umbrage to some shoving that was happening.
HEATING UP: Joint practice between the #Commanders and #Ravens gets spicy with some skirmishes
Emmanuel Forbes and Tylan Wallace on one field…
Then Ar’Darius Washington with a shove on Cole Turner… Terry McLaurin takes exception#HTTC @JPFinlayNBCS @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/ybnYLW6EAh
— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) August 15, 2023
Later, Ravens star tight end Mark Andrews sparked another kerfuffle when he slammed Washington DB Danny Johnson to the ground after a fumble (and after the whistle).
REALLY HEATING UP!#Ravens tight end Mark Andrews body slams #Commanders CB Danny Johnson
Shoves and scuffles ensue#HTTC @nbcwashington @JPFinlayNBCS pic.twitter.com/RopNJUbvKz
— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) August 15, 2023
Coaches love joint practices because it’s the closest thing you can get to game reps, because you aren’t going up against a teammate who you might more naturally pedal off against. However, because you don’t pedal off against another team, you end up with lots more dustups and sometimes full on fights, and occasionally practices have to end early because of it.