It’s joint practice season for NFL teams in training camp, where players finally get to hit someone other than teammates.
On Monday, Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas got the most out of that, slamming into Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold in a combined practice. Thomas was running toward Arnold to throw a block from a running play.
Here’s the video, from Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports.
Arnold stay up after the hit. As Vacchiano notes, however, he later headed for the locker room.
Speaking of heads, Arnold was wearing a Guardian Cap at the time. That’s permitted for offensive linemen, if they wear a helmet specific to their position.
In past years, a player like Arnold could have faced that onslaught from Thomas by going low at him. That’s now prohibited, by rule.
Arnold still might have been wise to hit the deck when he saw Thomas coming for him on Monday.