La’el Collins vs. Leonard Floyd fight ends Bengals vs. Rams practice

UPDATE

For now, it does not appear Rams star Aaron Donald is in danger of being hit with an NFL suspension, even though he clearly swung helmets at players during today’s melee.

It took two practices, but some skirmishes finally ensued between during the Cincinnati Bengals joint practices with the Los Angeles Rams, and right tackle La’el Collins was right in the thick of it.

Things started after the Bengals’ offense produced a big play to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Collins and Rams defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson were involved in a minor dispute.

Tensions escalated on the very next play as Collins ended up snatching the helmet of defensive end Leonard Floyd and reportedly swung it at him.

Collins was removed from the offensive line on the ensuing play, replaced by D’Ante Smith. But he wasn’t out for long.

As soon as Collins came back in, a full-blown brawl ensued after the rep, starting with Collins and Floyd going back at it.

Multiple players swung on each other as several of them hit the ground and even Aaron Donald ended up with a Bengals helmet in his hand.

Needless to say, Collins left the field right afterwards, and the rest of the team followed. Practice officially ended with a bang.

Scuffles between opposing teams in training camp are far from new. Just this month, the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers had their joint practices disrupted with violent brawls during their second practice. The New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons also had fights in their sessions.

It’s become an expectation that tempers flare between players practicing against one another. What’s intriguing about this one is who was in the center of the action.

Collins, who made headlines this offseason by labelling himself Joe Burrow’s bodyguard, has only been practicing with the team in 11-on-11 drills for about a week. And the second day he gets matched up with real opponents from another team, he made it clear he meant what he said back in the spring.

The good news is, according to head coach Zac Taylor, practice only had three plays left.

Saturday’s preseason game won’t feature Collins or any other big names, so it’s onto Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers for them.