OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — New Orleans wide receiver Ronnie Bell was carted off the field because of the effects of Southern California heat after being involved in one of several fights during a chippy joint practice between the Saints and Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday.
“He just had to go inside for a little bit. He just got a little bit overheated,” New Orleans coach Kellen Moore said.
Bell walked to the trainer’s tent following a second brawl between the Saints offense and Cowboys defense. Several minutes later, he was put onto a cart with his jersey and shoulder pads off. Bell was alert and sitting up as he was driven off the field.
Bell is going into his fourth season in the NFL out of Michigan. He has 10 receptions for 113 yards and four touchdowns in 28 games with the San Francisco 49ers and Saints.
Temperatures were in the high 70s Fahrenheit (around 25 Celsius) and it felt hotter because of unusually high humidity for the region caused by El Nino, seemingly exacerbating the intensity of a two-hour workout that nearly devolved into chaos on multiple occasions.
The early fracases happened on the field closest to fans where the Cowboys offense and Saints defense were scrimmaging.
Tensions carried over to the far field, where Dallas outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku got into a confrontation with several New Orleans players before teammates surrounded them in a massive scrum, with Saints center Erik McCoy throwing a Cowboys helmet high into the air.
Ezeiruaku and McCoy later came to blows, leading to the second-year defender from Boston College being ejected for throwing punches. It was the second time in training camp that Ezeiruaku has been booted for fisticuffs. He was ejected from a Week 18 loss to the New York Giants for pulling a helmet off an offensive lineman.
“We’ll have a long conversation, you know,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “Donovan’s a very bright young man, and, again, he understands he can’t hurt the football team. It’s part of a growth mindset for him.”
At the same time, Schottenheimer indicated an appreciation for players being willing to stand up for themselves and their teammates.
“To be very, very clear, we’re not taking (expletive) from anybody, but we also have to have the discipline to not play over the edge and hurt the football team, get penalties, do things like that,” he said.
In spite of those outbursts, Moore was largely pleased with the work the Saints did in the first of two joint practices this week. They will work with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.
“Not the ideal flow of the joint practice, but we got the work that we needed,” Moore said.
Schottenheimer was less than thrilled.
“Honestly, I got to go look at the film ’cause I was playing referee the whole time,” Schottenheimer said. “Our football team needs this work, and overall, I was disappointed in the work today because I didn’t think we got enough good work. I thought there were too many bodies on the ground, and it just felt sloppy to me.”
Mix-up leads to jersey change for Saints
The Cowboys offense and Saints defense both came onto the field wearing white jerseys because of a miscommunication, prompting New Orleans staffers to scramble to find contrasting black tops.
“My last name is Tyree today, and you could mistake me for a receiver,” linebacker Pete Werner joked, wearing a slim-cut No. 89 jersey instead of his usual No. 20. “I actually like the number, it’s a little small, it’s kind of snug, so it felt pretty good. I felt fast.”
Saints RB Kamara injured
Saints running back Alvin Kamara left practice early because of a knee injury, and cornerback Quincy Riley departed with a groin injury. Moore did not immediately know the severity of those injuries.
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Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press
