DALLAS — ESPN’s Dan Graziano predicted Wednesday morning that Dallas Cowboys rookie safety Caleb Downs “never leaves the field” in 2026.
Graziano acknowledged that he was exaggerating a little. His larger point was that Dallas believes Downs can handle several different jobs. Ideally for the Cowboys, Downs and veteran safety Jalen Thompson can switch between safety and nickel without Dallas having to change personnel. Graziano reported that Downs spent plenty of camp working at nickel, while the staff also trusts him playing deep.
Dallas also expects Downs to take some assignments against No. 1 receivers and communicate the defense from the start, according to Graziano. The Cowboys drafted him in April with the expectation that he would play immediately. That gives him a major role in first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker‘s defense.
Graziano’s piece covers all 32 teams and gives one possible surprise for each, drawing on what he saw and heard during training camp. NFL.com’s staff also picked Downs to win Defensive Rookie of the Year in a ballot the site published Tuesday.
How The Dallas Cowboys Landed Caleb Downs
Downs went No. 11 overall. Dallas moved up one spot in a trade with Miami and sent two 2026 fifth-round picks to get there. He signed May 1 for four years and $28,951,992, fully guaranteed, with a $17,515,992 signing bonus. He wears No. 13.
Downs won the Lott Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors at Ohio State in 2025. He earned unanimous All-American honors in both of his seasons there, 2024 and 2025. Downs began his college career at Alabama, where he was the SEC Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-American in 2023. He finished his 44-game college career with 257 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 6 interceptions.
Caleb Downs’ Camp Usage And The Dallas Cowboys Safety Room
Parker moved Downs between safety and the slot throughout training camp in Oxnard, California. A good portion of those slot reps came across from CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys returned to The Star on Aug. 24. One day later, Downs picked off Dak Prescott during red-zone work for his first interception of training camp.
Downs’ preseason debut lasted one drive at Seattle on Aug. 15. He played seven defensive snaps and did not record a statistic in Dallas’ 17-7 win.
Thompson came to Dallas in free agency after seven seasons in Arizona, signing a three-year deal worth up to $36 million. Through 99 career games, he has 578 tackles, 9 interceptions, and 37 pass deflections. He appeared in 15 games last season.
Christian Parker’s First Season Calling A Defense
Dallas hired Parker on Jan. 22 after moving on from Matt Eberflus following one season. At 34, Parker is the youngest defensive coordinator the Cowboys have had. He is Dallas’ fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons, and 2026 will be his first year calling a defense.
Parker spent 2024 and 2025 in Philadelphia as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach under Vic Fangio. He coached defensive backs in Denver from 2021 through 2023. Before that he worked two seasons as a defensive quality control coach in Green Bay.
The Cowboys allowed 511 points last season, a franchise record. That came to 30.1 per game and ranked last in the NFL. Dallas ranked 30th in yards allowed. The 35 touchdown passes the Cowboys gave up ranked 31st. Dallas finished 7-9-1 and second in the NFC East.
Five of the Cowboys’ seven 2026 draft picks went to defense. Dallas is in a 3-4 alignment this season after running a 4-3 in 2025.
Dallas opens the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13, at the New York Giants. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
