Eagles Accused of Deshaun Watson 'Cheap Shots' by Browns

The Browns are less than thrilled with some of the nastiness exhibited in their joint practices with the Eagles this week.

One of the problems with joint practices in NFL training camps is that too often, football gets forgotten and brawls take over. ... or, at least as was the case this week between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns, things got "heated,'' as a number of participants phrased it.

Browns guard Joel Bitonio is going a step beyond that, essentially, accusing the Eagles defense of "cheap shots'' against Cleveland’s prized quarterback Deshaun Watson.

“In our practice, we protect the quarterback,'' Bitonio said. "You don’t want to come close to the quarterback. You don’t want to take cheap shots. Things like that where there might have been some questionable plays both ways today.''

As reported by our EaglesToday.com at SI guys on the scene, Ed Kracz and John McMullen ...

We had scuffles today in what was oppressive humidity. The biggest one came when Cunningham deflected a Deshaun Watson pass that resulted in the first of two interceptions by Blankenship.

With Blankenship returning the pick, Brown used his missile-like defensive approach to block the Browns' Demetric Felton Jr. and plenty of Cleveland players took exception with massive rookie offensive tackle Dawand Jones being the most notable. Moments later, Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett threw actual punches at Browns tight end Thomas Greaney.

So, yeah ... a little more than "heated.'' ... with the five-time Pro Bowler Bitonio expressed his concern about one play in particular when Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat reportedly approached Watson and slapped the ball out of his hands.

“You’re not supposed to do that,” Bitonio said of the play, adding, "We don’t want to fight out here. We want to get better, and when two teams are competing, things are going to get fired up. So it happens.”

Said Eagles rookie Sydney Brown of the scuffling: “We’re practicing hard, they’re practicing hard, and that’s what it turns into, a high-intensity practice. It’s hot outside, it’s early in the day and we were ready to go.”

And guess what? Given that Cleveland and Philadelphia will face off in a preseason clash Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST? Both teams might still be "ready to go'' ... and some "heated exchanges'' might happen again.

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