Getty Images Head coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns.
Things got a little chippy between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on Tuesday during their joint practice with a fight breaking out between the sides.
The catalyst appeared to come during an interception by the Eagles, with Demetric Felton getting rocked on the return by Philadelphia rookie Sydney Brown. A big scrum ensued and players had to be separated.
“We just had to play with a little bit of chip on our shoulder compared to yesterday,” he said. “Play with a little more edge. it showed and ended up dominating on both sides of the ball.” Eagles safety K’Von Wallace told reporters after practice. “It’s just alpha males just going at it. When you’ve got competitors and competition going on and guys on the ground that supposedly weren’t supposed to be on the ground, some teammates might get a little heated and pushing and shoving going on, but that’s all it was. Just football at the end of the day.”
The Browns were not as happy with how things played out, with veteran guard Joel Bitonio expressing frustration over some cheap shots.
“In our practice, you protect the quarterback. You don’t come close to the quarterback, you don’t want to take cheap shots,” Bitonio told reporters. “There might have been some questionable plays both ways.”
Joint practices rev things up to another level for preseason practices and the Browns had their hands full with the defending NFC champions. Zac Jackson of The Athletic appeared to hint at the Eagles getting the best of the Browns during the session.
“You don’t need to wait for the Sue L. Robinson of joint practice Twitter to deliver a verdict on today. Wasn’t close,” Jackson tweeted.
Eagles Show Respect for Browns Defensive Line
While there was some chippiness, there was still a massive amount of respect between the two squads, particularly in the trenches.
“Listen, you’re not going to find better end to end D-line,” Eagles veteran center Jason Kelce said. “The way Myles (Garrett) rushes the passer, then his just pure physicality. Za’Darius (Smith) can do it all too. He can rush from the edge, he can run through games unbelievably. It’s no shock that they have a phenomenal defensive front. … We knew what we were in store for. It’s a good test for us.”
Garrett appreciated the comments from Kelce but knows there’s still work to be done.
“It means a lot. He’s seen a whole lot. He’s been around for a while, and he’s played against some really good ones. Definitely, it’s an honor coming from him,” Garrett said. “We got to make the most of it. We appreciate the words, but we got to keep on putting the work in.”
Browns Injured Players Get Back on the Field
The Browns had a trio of starters exit practice on August 14 but it wasn’t anything to worry about long-term. Garrett was dealing with a foot injury, Denzel Ward suffered an illness and Jack Conklin is dealing with a concussion. New wide receiver Elijah Moore also missed the first day due to a rib injury he suffered in the preseason game against the
Garrett, Ward and Moore were all back, although Conklin remains in concussion protocol. Garrett’s injury was a little worrisome considering he was dealing with a nagging dislocated toe he suffered in last year’s Pro Bowl but the Pro Bowl pass-rusher said he’s all good.
“All good, got rolled up on and have some pain, but good. Got the guys looking out for me and wanted to be a little bit cautious with today, see how I felt out there,” Garrett said on August 15. “Moving well, feeling good, told me to just cool it for team and watch the guys work and they came out there with a lot of juice line energy. There were some good, some bad, but that’s to be expected.”
The Browns and Eagles will square off on August 17 in a preseason matchup. The Browns’ starters are not expected to play.
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Browns Star Calls Out Eagles for Cheap Shots After Practice Fight