Another NFL joint practice, another sideline scuffle.
This time, the flashpoint came between the Patriots and Eagles on Thursday, when multiple reports said a fight broke out after Patriots defensive tackle Corey Durden “sacked” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. It was the latest reminder that these shared practices can turn from workmanlike to wild in a hurry.
The scene fit a familiar August pattern. A week earlier, the 49ers had to send two players off the field after multiple fights with the Titans. On Tuesday, things got even messier when the Saints and Cowboys got into real punches, and one player even turned it into a wrestling moment.
“Someone on the Cowboys just punched Brock Rechsteiner, and then after they fought, Rechsteiner fought another player and straight up body slammed him,” Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Times-Picayune said. “More fighting than football today it seems.”
There was at least one calmer moment after Thursday’s session in Philadelphia. Hurts and former teammate A.J. Brown spoke after practice, and Brown addressed the talk that their relationship had become strained.
“Nothing happened, people just grow apart,” Brown told Maria Taylor. “Nothing happened between me and him, or our families, wives, anything.
Nothing like that ever happened. Life happens and you just look up sometimes and you just you find yourself drifting away and that’s fine.
And I think both parties accepted that.”
The Eagles and Patriots will get another chance to sort things out on Saturday, when they meet in their preseason game.
In Other News...
Patriots Just Sent A Clear Message About Greg Van Roten
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At 36, Van Roten is being brought in for more than just insurance, even if that is the immediate need after injuries to Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich. The structure of the contract suggests New England sees a useful stopgap now, with some upside if he handles a bigger role than expected, and that is a pretty direct message about how the Patriots want the offensive line handled heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Maye Is Already Saying What Patriots Fans Need To Hear
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For New England, the bigger takeaway is less about the comparison itself and more about where Mayes head is as he heads into his third NFL season. He has been candid about focusing on the mental side of his game, and that matters for a team still trying to stabilize the most important position on the field. Hurts rise, resilience and Super Bowl-level success offer a clear model, and Maye seems intent on learning from it while continuing to build his own path. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Face A New Doubt About Mike Vrabel And Drake Maye
The conversation around Mike Vrabels first months in New England has taken on another layer, this one coming from the media rather than the field. Colin Cowherd weighed in on the reported affair allegation involving Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini, separating the ethics question from the morals debate while using the moment to revisit how the Patriots are viewed heading into the season.
Cowherd was skeptical that New England can simply roll last years success forward and suggested the team looks more like a wild-card outfit than a Super Bowl contender. Even so, he had high regard for the Vrabel-Drake Maye partnership, ranking it among the leagues better coach-quarterback pairings and putting it sixth overall, which is part of what makes the Patriots next step such an intriguing one. [Read more 🡒]
