Packers, Bengals get into a joint practice brawl after scuffle

Another joint training camp practice, another fight. The Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals got into a big brawl on Wednesday.

The first NFL preseason games are scheduled to go on this week, allowing fans to get their first look at some of the starters, and those who can sneak onto the roster with a strong training camp or overall performance in games. This week, some teams are holding joint practices with their upcoming preseason game. Two teams that are practicing with one another are the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals, as they are set to play Friday, Aug. 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

As is usually the case, emotions run high during joint practices, and it sometimes leads to fights. That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday.

During practice, numerous Packers and Bengals players got into a big scrum, started by a fight between offensive guard Elgton Jenkins and linebacker Germaine Pratt.

The video comes courtesy of Kyle Smith.

Multiple scrums take place during Packers-Bengals joint practice

Per Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Silverstein, Jenkins dropped Pratt on a screen that resulted in the linebacker sitting down. Once Pratt got up, he walked towards Jenkins and took a swing at him, which then led the guard to lunge at him. That then resulted in a lengthy scrum that included multiple fights.

This wasn’t the only scrum of the day that Jenkins was involved in. Later on, a second scrum took place after Jenkins punched defensive tackle D.J. Reader in the helmet. Jenkins had to be escorted off the field by Packers offensive line coach Luke Butkus.

After practice, Reader spoke about his scrum with Jenkins, whom the defensive lineman called a “JAG,” i.e. just a guy. His quote comes courtesy of The Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway. Afterward, Reader sent out a tweet doubling down on it, which read, “He’s a J A G.”

Much like Reader, Jenkins took to Twitter after practice to share his thoughts. One of those messages was, “And that film don’t lie.”

Jenkins had been with the Packers since 2019 as a second-round pick out of Mississippi State. He made it to the Pro Bowl twice in his young career, including this past season. In 2022, Jenkins allowed three sacks and was penalized four times in 960 offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Reader, meanwhile, recorded 27 combined tackles (18 solo, nine assisted), five quarterback hits, four passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble in 10 regular-season games played.

It’s common for two teams to get into some scuffles during joint practice. Based on what happened with Jenkins, Pratt, and Reader, it certainly adds intrigue to the preseason meeting between both teams on Friday night.