FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs intercepted Dak Prescott during red zone work Tuesday night at The Star, and the two went back and forth about it afterward.
Prescott smirked when he saw who had made the catch, according to Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, who said the rookie was not treating it as a milestone.
“Knowing Caleb, no,” Schottenheimer said. “I think he knows there’s a lot more to come. But he and Dak were having some good trash talk back and forth, which is good. And it was actually a little smirk on Dak’s face when he saw it was Caleb that got the interception. And, again, I think he was excited, not excited to throw an interception, but that we’re seeing the growth of what’s going to be a really, really great player.”
The Cowboys practiced in front of fans Tuesday, the first of two open sessions at The Star this week. Dallas had worked in shells before that, and Schottenheimer said the team was a little too slow in that session and that he addressed it with the players. He called the red zone period the best work of the night.
How Dallas Cowboys Landed Caleb Downs at No. 11
Downs is the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Dallas moved up a spot with Miami to take him, sending two 2026 fifth-round picks. He is the first Cowboys first-round pick out of Ohio State in 10 years.
At Ohio State, Downs won the Lott Trophy and the Jim Thorpe Award in 2025 and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He was a unanimous All-American in 2024 and 2025. He spent his freshman season at Alabama, where he was SEC Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-American in 2023. He wears No. 13 in Dallas.
Clabe Downs’ Role In The New Dallas Cowboys Defense
Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker has used Downs at safety and in the slot through camp. Dallas has shifted to a 3-4 alignment in Parker’s first season after running a 4-3 under Matt Eberflus in 2025. The Cowboys allowed 511 points last season, 30.1 per game, which ranked last in the NFL. Dallas finished 7-9-1 and second in the NFC East.
Prescott completed 404 of 600 passes for 4,552 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2025, adding 53 carries for 177 yards and two scores.
Dallas closes the preseason against New Orleans on Friday at 7 p.m. CT at AT&T Stadium, with the game on CBS locally. The Cowboys are 2-0 after a 17-7 win at Seattle and a 34-13 win at Arizona.
Rosters must be at 53 players by 5 p.m. CT Sunday, Aug. 30. Dallas opens the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13, at the New York Giants at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
