Steelers' Cameron Heyward calls joint practices 'wrestling matches'

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers DT Cameron Heyward calls joint practices a, 'two and a half hour wrestling match with no rules'

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 8/26/22

After a melee on Thursday between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, joint practices in the NFL have come under scrutiny.

After several skirmishes, Rams DT Aaron Donald was seen swinging two helmets at players before the practice was shut down.

The incident may lead to the NFL rethinking its policies on how they plan to manage joint practices moving forward. Currently, the teams run the sessions, and the league has little say in how players are policied in situations such as Thursdays.

While many have voiced their opinions on the matter, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward wasn't bashful about sharing his.

Responding to a question on Twitter asking why the NFL holds joint practices, Heyward said while they're good, "in theory," it might as well be the Wild West out there.

In theory it sounds cool to see you team compete in a practice setting but it's basically a 2 and half hour wrestling match with no rules or technique which puts everyone on edge. Guys do things they would never do in a game that could lead to injury. Players fight for their team
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) August 25, 2022

Former All-Pro offensive tackle Joe Thomas pointed out that the league was asking for trouble, pairing Super Bowl LVI against one another.

Ohhh, ohh I’ve got a terrible idea…let’s schedule 2 days of joint practices with the two teams who just played in the super bowl

What could possible go wrong https://t.co/dddDAzYz0K
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) August 26, 2022

Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers center A.Q. Shipley said, "these players hate" joint practices and "nobody wants it."

Ohhh, ohh I’ve got a terrible idea…let’s schedule 2 days of joint practices with the two teams who just played in the super bowl

What could possible go wrong https://t.co/dddDAzYz0K
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) August 26, 2022

"I think they're starting to get to that point, right?" Shipley said. "You're starting to get more and more fights. These coaches think it's a great idea because now that's a way to get work in and not have to risk injury in a game; now you can get that full-speed work against another team. But now it becomes detrimental to everybody."

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