Exactly a year ago, AP’s Steve Megargee warned about what could happen when two NFL teams come together for practice. The first week of joint practices had witnessed one player getting carted off the field and two teams shelling out as much as $200,000 each for getting into fights. Those events led to the notion that such sessions should last just a day. “One, to me, is plenty,” the New York Jets’ then-HC, Robert Saleh, had said.

Even Packers coach Matt LaFleur opined that “sometimes it becomes a wrestling match out there or an MMA fight” when joint practices extend beyond a day. So, when the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers lined up for their own joint session on Wednesday morning, August 6, in Charlotte, history repeated itself.

Rain glazed the turf, and the mood was tense before the first whistle. The Athletic’s Zac Jackson broke the news on X: “First punches thrown: Damontae Kazee and Trevian Thomas in the first punt drill.” Damontae Kazee, who has played eight NFL seasons (Falcons, Cowboys, Steelers), looks forward to the next chapter with the Browns. Throughout his entire career, he put up 363 combined tackles and 17 interceptions. Across from him was Panthers rookie Trevian Thomas, an undrafted player who is carrying the chip of a thousand doubters.

This isn’t Kazee’s first time drawing attention for physical play. For Trevian Thomas, however, the moment could cut both ways: show toughness and fire, but risk discipline and coaching trust. These fights often blur that line. Though the session moved forward, the message was loud and clear: every rep matters and every mistake is magnified.

Joint practices aren’t new to this kind of fallout. They simulate games, yes… But without the boundaries of the Sunday structure. They’re hotbeds for emotion, ego, and evaluation. Then, who do teams even conduct joint practices? Here’s why:

• After weeks of facing their own teammates, a joint training session offers players an opportunity to go against more unfamiliar opponents. So it offers a more competitive environment as compared to their standard practice sessions.
• Joint sessions are managed by coaches and not the clock and referees. So teams can control the pace of practice, the kind of drills they would like to execute, etc. Plus, joint sessions can help simulate conditions similar to a real football game, minus the injuries… That is, unless a fight breaks out.

The skirmish might have been the highlight of the morning, but it wasn’t the only story brewing on the field. While tempers flared, a different kind of energy pulsed just a few yards downfield. Away from the scuffle and bravado, Shedeur Sanders met a familiar face, not as rivals, but as brothers.

Shedeur Sanders reunites with a teammate from Colorado

Shedeur Sanders reunited with his former Colorado Buffaloes teammate and now Carolina Panthers wideout, Jimmy Horn Jr. Their reunion offered a heartfelt reminder that beneath the helmets and highlight reels, the NFL is still a league built on relationships, trust, and shared journeys. The duo was sensational in their college days. And Horn, just like Shedeur, has carried that intensity over to his professional days. His 4.38 speed and playmaking got him drafted by the Panthers.

He showed that explosiveness with two short touchdowns in camp, and even more grit chasing down Lathan Ransom on a punt return, refusing to give up a score. But when he met Shedeur once again, Panthers’ beat writer, Sheena Quick, shared the news on her X, alongside a heart-warming picture of them. She wrote, “Brotherhood #ShedeurSanders #JimmyHornJr.” That brotherhood, however, will be put to the test.

The latest reports suggest that Shedeur Sanders will start the preseason game against the Panthers on Friday. Though the rookie QB has seen the fewest first-team reps in camp, injuries to Kenny Pickett, along with 40-year-old Joe Flacco’s heavy workload, could open the door for Shedeur Sanders’ first real NFL action. But here’s the problem:

Through 11 team practices, he was the only QB who had yet to take any reps with the starters. And during the joint session with the Panthers, he didn’t get any extra work. In fact, he had one of the easiest days since camp started: Shedeur Sanders took two sets of four snaps in full-team drills and also got only about three throws over the practice’s two 7-on-7 periods.