Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer had to eject star defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku from the field after he threw a punch during the second padded practice. Just one day later, during their third padded session, Schotty and company were forced to deal with yet another fight.

Rookie wide receiver Anthony Smith and cornerback Caelan Carson started a scuffle on the field. Their teammates quickly moved in to separate them, but not before there was plenty of pushing and helmet pulling between the two players, according to a clip posted by sports reporter Sam Gannon of KDFW Fox 4 on X.

Smith and Carson were paired together in what looked like a drill, and their on-field matchup became too heated.

Luckily for Smith and Carson, they escaped ejection since no punches were thrown. While Schottenheimer encourages high-intensity competition, he won’t tolerate reckless decisions that could translate into costly game-day mistakes. Especially when the head coach had already dealt with a similar situation involving Ezeiruaku earlier in the week.

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The defensive end was removed from Tuesday’s practice after throwing a punch at right tackle Terence Steele. Before that incident, Ezeiruaku had also been involved in a verbal back-and-forth with left tackle Tyler Guyton during a previous practice.

“He’s an incredible play style guy. He plays the game the right way, but at the same time we have to have a plan,” Schottenheimer told reporters on August 7. “He gets hot and when he feels his temperature rising, what is the plan? He and I discussed a couple different options. I think we’ve got a good thing in place, but again, I don’t [want to] take it away, the edge that he plays on, but when you throw a punch, you’ve gone over the edge.

“[The referees] would’ve thrown him out the game, and that hurts the team.”

Schottenheimer has had to handle the heated training camp fights not for the first time. Last season, the Cowboys safety Marquese Bell and tight end Tyler Neville engaged in a heated fight. There were a few others as well, but Schotty’s response this year is similar to what he said last year.

As far as the player involved in the heated battles this year, Ezeiruaku is concerned, many believe he could be in line for a breakout season with the Cowboys. Although he recorded only two sacks as a rookie, his other numbers showed that he was capable of disrupting plays.

Ezeiruaku finished the 2025 season with 28 quarterback pressures, which ranked fourth among rookie edge defenders. He also recorded 29 run stops (third in that category) and 40 tackles (fourth).

However, the defensive end knows that sacks remain one of the most noticeable statistics for a pass rusher. His ability to turn pressures into sacks will be an important part of his development this season.

Donovan Ezeiruaku Returns Stronger After Hip Surgery

Donovan Ezeiruaku is entering the new season while recovering from a hip injury he suffered during the previous campaign. He underwent offseason surgery to address the problem and now believes he is ready to raise his sack numbers and make a bigger impact for the Cowboys.

“I feel very explosive,” Ezeiruaku said, per Dallas News. “Especially for me, the way I take pride in what I do and what I want to do to help this football team.”

The 22-year-old had several impressive numbers during his rookie season, but his stat line still showed only two sacks. That total was a sharp contrast to the 16.5 sacks he recorded at Boston, where he led the ACC in sacks. He also led the conference in tackles for loss with 20.5.

That difference explains why expectations are high for Ezeiruaku. His college production showed that he can consistently reach the quarterback, while his rookie numbers showed that he can contribute in other areas even when he does not finish plays with a sack. Now, the Cowboys want to see him turn those pressures into bigger statistical production.