Dallas Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs is already getting familiar with his new team, but one statistic about Dallas' defense caught his eye. 

During a recent appearance on the St. Brown Podcast, the first-round pick admitted he was surprised when he looked deeper into the Cowboys' defensive numbers from recent seasons.

"It was weird when I got there. We were talking about the defense and everything, and then I looked at how many points they gave up in a game, and I was like, 30 points a game," Downs said.

Last season, Dallas gave up exactly 30 points in a 30-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Before that season, they allowed 30 points in a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions, as per the NFL. 

Before joining Dallas, the rookie viewed the franchise as a consistently competitive team, which made those defensive numbers somewhat surprising.

Despite his surprise, the hosts made it clear that they still see the Cowboys as one of the NFL's most stable teams. 

"There's some teams that go good and then they're bad. The Cowboys are never bad. They're either in the middle or they're good," the host said. 

While Downs' reaction highlighted the defensive issues Dallas faced last season, the Cowboys spent the offseason making significant changes on that side of the ball. 

Downs Joins Revamped Defense Looking to Bounce Back 

After struggling defensively last season, Dallas heavily invested in their defensive line this year. A 30th-place ranking in total defense played a major role in the team missing the playoffs.

The Cowboys made a much-needed move by drafting Downs with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite being a rookie, he is widely considered one of the top defensive prospects from the 2026 draft class. 

The Cowboys have made several defensive additions this offseason. They added Quinnen Williams (DT) in a trade with the New York Jets, Malachi Lawrence (EDGE) via the NFL Draft, Dee Winters (LB) in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, and Jaishawn Barham (LB) via the NFL Draft.

According to a report by The US Sun, David Scott said,

“The defensive lineup is going to look much different.”

With several new additions and as Downs prepares for his first NFL season, the Cowboys will look to bounce back after a poor season in 2025. 

Downs will have an opportunity to become part of the solution for a defense looking to take a significant step forward in 2026.

Written by

Evince Das

Edited by

Rudra Dubey