Video: Aaron Donald, Connor Williams Scuffle at Rams, Cowboys Practice

Paul KasabianFeatured Columnist IIAugust 8, 2021

Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald works out during an NFL football training camp practice in Irvine, Calif., Saturday, July 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)

AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo

A scuffle between Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Connor Williams caused the two teams to charge the field during a joint training camp practice held in Oxnard, California.

Pat Doney @PatDoneyNBC5
Aaron Donald & Connor Williams scuffle... Cowboys and Rams players charge the field... <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCDFW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBCDFW</a> <a href="https://t.co/7mAE6rw82E">pic.twitter.com/7mAE6rw82E</a>

Todd Archer @toddarcher
Aaron Donald did not like being blocked by Connor Williams and started the first dust up of the practices between the Cowboys and Rams. <a href="https://t.co/sGz6KfcukS">pic.twitter.com/sGz6KfcukS</a>

Lindsey Thiry @LindseyThiry
A scuffle broke out at Rams-Cowboys practice centered around Connor Williams and Aaron Donald. <a href="https://t.co/hfNxJm0KOV">pic.twitter.com/hfNxJm0KOV</a>

Michael Gehlken @GehlkenNFL
That didn’t last long. Fight breaks out during Cowboys’ first 11-on-11. LG Connor Williams and Rams DT Aaron Donald at center ot it, yanking each other’s face mask behind play. They just had two 1-on-1 reps vs. each other on opposite side of field. Williams not backing down. <a href="https://t.co/AAKdLAczYT">https://t.co/AAKdLAczYT</a> <a href="https://t.co/fFIT85lgKM">pic.twitter.com/fFIT85lgKM</a>

Williams was reportedly faring well against Donald in one-on-one drills prior to the dust-up:

Omar Ruiz @OmarDRuiz
LG Connor Williams holding his own in 1-on-1’s vs Aaron Donald during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LARams?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LARams</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cowboys</a> scrimmage <a href="https://t.co/mPQzh8w8JY">pic.twitter.com/mPQzh8w8JY</a>

David Helman @HelmanDC
Connor Williams with a win against Aaron Donald 😳 <a href="https://t.co/iH26hSrNM8">pic.twitter.com/iH26hSrNM8</a>

Donald left his mark in practice, however.

Jourdan Rodrigue @JourdanRodrigue
Oh, my. Aaron Donald sniffed out a run, slipped his guy at the snap and got to the back nearly at the handoff point. They can’t tackle to the ground (which I’m not sure fans here realize), but that would have been a stop and a loss.

The Cowboys were hosting the Rams at their training camp home. The pre-practice expectation was that there would be no fights.

"We have no interest in fights. That's a waste of everybody's time," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said, per Cowboys.com senior writer Rob Phillips.

"Those days, to me, are over. That's not what I'm looking for. It definitely will penalize your team if it happens in a game, so why the hell would you do it in practice? I think Sean feels the same way. We just want the quality work."

As Phillips noted, these teams got into it in their 2015 joint practice. It happened again Saturday, although it ended without any serious ramifications.

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