Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs stands on the practice field in a blue jersey during training camp.

Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs looks on during a training camp practice at River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, California, on Aug. 1, 2026. The 11th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft has been entrusted with the green-dot helmet and the defensive communication duties that come with it during his first NFL camp, an unusual responsibility for a rookie. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CeeDee Lamb On Caleb Downs: ‘He’s Everything That He’s Advertised’

Grant AfsethAugust 7, 2026August 7, 2026

DSJ Quick Take: CeeDee Lamb On Caleb Downs At Cowboys Camp

CeeDee Lamb said Dallas Cowboys rookie safety Caleb Downs is “everything that he’s advertised” and communicates well two weeks into training camp in Oxnard. Lamb also detailed how he reads leverage to set up releases against defensive backs.

What did Lamb say about Downs? He called Downs a “hell of an athlete, hell of a player,” praised his communication, and said he’s tough to handle in a run fit.
Who is Downs? The 11th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, a Jim Thorpe Award winner at Ohio State who is working in the slot and at safety in camp.
What did Lamb say about his own game? He said his release changes depending on where he lines up and where the ball is going, and that leverage dictates everything after that.
What’s next? Dallas opens the preseason Saturday, Aug. 15, at Seattle, with kickoff at 7 p.m. CT on NFL Network.

OXNARD, Calif. — CeeDee Lamb said rookie safety Caleb Downs communicates well, carries the load that came with being the Dallas Cowboys‘ first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and is difficult to deal with in the run game. Lamb made the comments Friday on 105.3 The Fan.

“He’s nice,” Lamb said. “I mean, he’s everything that he’s advertised. He does a great job of communicating. For him to be a rookie and to have so much on his shoulders, I feel like it comes with the territory, right? First-round draft pick, the first pick. And then he has a bit of a name to himself, and I mean, he stands up to it. He’s a real honorable guy. Hell of an athlete, hell of a player. He’s great in a run fit, so whoever’s gotta deal with that, good luck.”

Dallas traded up one spot for Downs in April, sending the 12th, 177th, and 180th overall picks to the Miami Dolphins for the 11th selection. Downs signed a four-year rookie contract worth $27,708,728 with a $16,611,800 signing bonus.

Caleb Downs’ First Camp In Oxnard

Through the California portion of camp, Dallas has used Downs both in the slot and at safety, The Associated Press reported. He wears No. 13 and is listed at 6-0, 205 pounds. He turned 21 in December.

Downs won the Jim Thorpe Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy as a junior at Ohio State last season. He was also named the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year. In 2025, he finished with 68 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles. He was a unanimous All-American in both 2024 and 2025.

Across three college seasons, Downs made 44 starts and recorded 257 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 6 interceptions. He led Alabama with 107 tackles as a freshman in 2023, then transferred to Ohio State and won the College Football Playoff national championship in his first year in Columbus. He is the son of former NFL running back Gary Downs and the younger brother of Indianapolis Colts receiver Josh Downs.

Downs is working in his first NFL season under Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who was hired this offseason. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is in his second season. Dallas has missed the playoffs each of the past two years.

The Oxnard portion of camp runs through Aug. 13, with a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 11 in Woodland Hills. The Cowboys shift to Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Aug. 14 and hold a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 18.

CeeDee Lamb On Leverage And Setting Up Releases

Lamb is entering his seventh NFL season. Dallas drafted him 17th overall in 2020 out of Oklahoma. He has been named to the Pro Bowl in five consecutive seasons and was a first-team Associated Press All-Pro in 2023.

Later in the same interview, Lamb turned to his own work at the line of scrimmage.

“Yeah, for me, if I know I’m backside, I may give a bit slower of a release, because I know where the ball’s going, right?” Lamb said. “And I wanna see the technique, I wanna see the leverage. It starts with the leverage, right? Where am I lined up? How would you align off that, right? And if I go this way, what are your reactions? You know what I’m saying? And then for me, it’s all mental. So when the ball is actually coming to me, I know your movements. I know your tendencies. You know what I’m saying? Every rep, every time it’s a run game or a run play, or again, I’m backside or maybe number two option, it’s all about setting it up.

“I just wanna see how you moving. I wanna see your reactions,” Lamb explained. “I wanna see, if I do this, what are you gonna do? If I do this, are you gonna stay here? Are you gonna hinge? Are you gonna be heavy on your outside? It’s a lot of different things that goes into being elite at route running, for one, and then better, or nice at releasing. ‘Cause defenders, they kinda panic sometimes and then they’ll get lucky. But for somebody that has a plan, it’s no such thing as luck.”

Lamb played 14 games last season and caught 75 passes for 1,077 yards and 3 touchdowns. His 135 receptions in 2023 led the NFL. Through six seasons, he has 571 catches for 7,416 yards and 41 receiving touchdowns in 95 games.

Dallas opens the preseason Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Seattle Seahawks, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT at Lumen Field. The Cowboys visit the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22 and host the Saints at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 28. Rosters must be trimmed to 53 players by Aug. 30.