Brock Rechsteiner brought a little family business to Saints-Cowboys practice in Oxnard.
The undrafted rookie wide receiver for New Orleans got tangled up in a joint-practice scuffle with Dallas, and the video quickly showed just how ugly things had gotten. According to clips shared from the teams’ workout at Cowboys camp in California, Rechsteiner tossed Cowboys eighth-year safety Jalen Thompson to the ground during the melee.
It wasn’t the only flare-up, either. A separate clip posted by New Orleans Football on social media showed Rechsteiner mixing it up with Cowboys cornerback Caleen Carson, who grabbed at his facemask and pulled him. From there, the whole thing spilled over, with more players from both sides jumping into two different scrums while coaches tried to shut it down.
The scene looked every bit like the kind of practice that can turn from controlled reps into chaos fast: whistles, yelling, bodies flying, the whole deal. And in this case, Rechsteiner’s last name fit the moment. He is the son of Scott Steiner, the former WCW heavyweight champion and WWE wrestler known as “Big Poppa Pump,” who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with his brother Rick Steiner.
Rechsteiner played college football at Jacksonville State, and he’s already carrying some baggage as he tries to carve out a spot in New Orleans. The Saints’ receiver room is crowded, even with first-round pick Jordyn Tyson dealing with a hamstring injury, so making the roster is no easy path. If Rechsteiner does stick, he’ll also have to serve a six-game suspension.
The 23-year-old has kept one foot in another arena, too. He has enrolled in the WWE Next In Line Program, and he made his intentions clear at New Orleans’ rookie minicamp: "I want to pursue football as long as I can, play as long as I can, but once I'm done, I'll get into wrestling, too," Rechsteiner said.
The NFL announced his suspension on its daily transaction wire Thursday, Aug. 6. The league didn’t say why he was banned, only that Rechsteiner had "been suspended by the Commissioner."
He can still take part in preseason work, including games. The suspension won’t begin until final roster cutdown day, which is Sunday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Saints Family Thrust Into Painful Spotlight After Chanen Johnson Speaks Out
A recent Instagram post pulled the Johnson family into an uncomfortable public moment, after Chanen Johnson said an alleged racist comment was made about the skin tone of her and Juwan Johnsons daughters. Rather than meeting it with anger, she chose to respond openly and urged people to lean on love and prayer, a reaction that quickly turned a personal slight into something bigger than one familys social media feed.
For Saints fans, it is another reminder of how much life around the team extends well beyond the field, especially for players trying to balance the demands of the NFL with home responsibilities. Chanen Johnson has recently spoken warmly about Juwan Johnsons commitment to family despite his schedule, and the contrast between that support and the pain of the current moment makes the spotlight on the couple feel especially heavy. [Read more 🡒]
Kool-Aid McKinstry Faces The Saints Test That Could Change Everything
Kool-Aid McKinstry has spent the offseason and early stages of training camp stacking up steady work for the Saints, and now the pace is about to pick up. The rookie cornerback has already given New Orleans reason to feel encouraged, but the next stretch should offer a far clearer picture of where he stands as the team shifts from internal evaluations to more revealing competition.
The joint practices against the Cowboys and Rams will give McKinstry a tougher kind of test, the sort that can expose a young defensive back in a hurry. For the Saints, the value is in seeing how he handles that jump in pressure and whether the positive buzz around him keeps holding up when the reps get sharper and the route trees get more demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Need Veteran Receiver Help After Costly Camp Setback
A sudden need at receiver has pushed the Saints to do some mid-summer evaluating, and the club brought in veteran options Chase Claypool and Josh Reynolds for workouts as it looks to shore up the room. Claypool, 28, is a former second-round pick with stops across multiple NFL teams, while Reynolds, 31, has been around the league for several seasons and was most recently with the Jets.
The timing matters because New Orleans is already bracing for a setback to one of its newer pass-catching pieces, which has opened the door for added competition and possible insurance. For a team trying to keep its offense on track through camp, veteran depth suddenly looks a lot more interesting than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]