FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys nickel will face an offense that moves its pieces before the snap and puts five receivers into routes, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday, and rookie Caleb Downs is finally playing the spots Dallas drafted him for.
Schottenheimer spoke before Friday’s practice at The Star in a press conference the Cowboys streamed on YouTube.
The San Francisco 49ers visit AT&T Stadium at 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday on Fox. San Francisco is 7-1, and Dallas is 4-5.
The 49ers’ skill players are the reason the nickel is under pressure. Schottenheimer singled out fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle, and running back Christian McCaffrey, as he did Wednesday.
“I mean the way they move their pieces around too,” Schottenheimer said. “Like you said, their weapons, like I talked about on Wednesday, I think, Juszczyk’s not a fullback. He’s a weapon. Kittle, McCaffrey, they’re weapons. But they’re going to get five guys out, and that nickel is going to be in the firing zone, if you will, just because of all the quick motions and movements. And the linebackers and the nickel have to have great eye discipline in this game.”
Caleb Downs’ Path Back To Nickel
Dallas traded up one spot with Miami to draft Downs 11th overall out of Ohio State in April, sending the 12th pick and two fifth-round picks to the Dolphins. Injuries in the secondary have moved him between safety and the slot. In the Oct. 18 game at Green Bay, he played 40 snaps in the slot and 20 at safety.
Communication was a reason the Cowboys drafted Downs. Schottenheimer said Downs’ voice has grown louder with experience and that the Colts game gives him something to build on.
“Great command, great communication skills,” Schottenheimer explained. “Just the football IQ, the football instincts are unusual. And I think he has always had his voice, but you hear it even more loudly and more clear than maybe you did in the beginning, and that’s just from experience of playing.”
“I thought he had an incredible game last week, which is a great game to build off of,” Schottenheimer continued. “And like I said, we’re finally getting him to play the position that we wanted to play. With some of the injuries he’s had to play safety and things like that, we’ve had to remove him and have him farther away from the ball. But you’re finally trying. You’re finally now seeing Caleb play in the spots that we really, really want him.”
Downs At Indianapolis And The Secondary’s Injuries
In the 27-23 win at Indianapolis on Nov. 8, Downs had a sack and intercepted a pass on the Colts’ final drive for his first career interception. The sack was his second of the season. He became the first Cowboys rookie with a sack and an interception in the same game since Tommy Haynes in 1987.
Downs had entered the concussion protocol after the Nov. 1 overtime loss to Arizona and was cleared Nov. 6.
Safety Jalen Thompson remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. According to the Cowboys’ official injury report, safety P.J. Locke did not practice Wednesday or Thursday with a concussion, safety Juanyeh Thomas was limited Thursday with a hamstring injury, and safety Alijah Clark did not practice Thursday because of an illness. Safety Malik Hooker returned as a full participant Thursday after missing Wednesday for a personal matter.
Friday’s final injury report, with game designations for Sunday, comes after practice and after Schottenheimer’s availability.
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