Tensions Explode at Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals Joint Practice

Things got out of control today at the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals joint practice session. Fight after fight after fight broke out Thursday afternoon, culminating with a bench-clearing melee:

A second scuffle breaks out between #Bengals and #Rams big men in joint practice. pic.twitter.com/yZJTiZSqFU
— Sam Greene (@SGdoesit) August 25, 2022

Apparently, Bengals offensive tackle La'el Collins took exception to a player engaging too long, and all hell broke loose. Punches were thrown. Helmets were ripped off and swung at enemy heads. Coaches quickly separated the players, resulting in practice being called early.

keep ya head on a swivel 👀 pic.twitter.com/Oywc3Dt52k
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 25, 2022

The Bengals and Rams are coming off a closely contested Super Bowl, so maybe there's lingering animosity in the air. Even if that's the case, violence at joint practices is becoming a bit of a trend across the NFL. In theory, the sessions are designed to give players new looks and new competition after weeks of reps against their same old teammates. But if brawls across the league continue and someone gets legitimately hurt, the league may have to reconsider the tradition. Or drop some hefty penalties.