After finishing near the bottom of the league defensively in 2025, the Dallas Cowboys are counting on the defensive overhaul and significant additions made during the offseason. And there's one part of this defense that can elevate this team: the safety.

ESPN’s Seth Walder believes former Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs could be a long-term key contributor to the defensive unit of the Cowboys.

“The Cowboys need defensive playmaking to come from somewhere,” Seth Walder wrote. "If there's going to be a long-term, positive change to this defense, it could come from Downs, for whom the Cowboys traded up to select at No. 11. If he can help make the Cowboys simply an average defense, watch out.”

Downs comes into the team with some pressure around him. As the No. 11 Draft pick for a team that struggled on defense, expectations around him are high. And Downs has the potential to deliver

Let's look at the numbers. In over 800 snaps as the safety for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Downs led a secondary that didn't allow a second touchdown. He recorded a total of 257 tackles (164 solo), 1.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 12 passes defended for 44 games played across three collegiate years.

And so far, Downs has been one of the biggest positives for the Cowboys. He has already impressed veterans on the team and will likely play in the slot for most of his snaps.

Walder wrote in the same ESPN article that the Cowboys could generate necessary production from Donavan Ezeiraku and Malachi Lawrence, creating enough pressure from the edge.

Perhaps that could be enough for us to see Dallas become at-least a mid-table defense.

Bleacher Report Backs Downs for Immediate Impact

Alex Kay of Bleacher Report believes that Downs lived up to the hype surrounding his celebrated collegiate stint with Ohio State.

"The Dallas Cowboys badly needed a playmaking safety going into the draft and managed to secure a game-changer in Downs," Alex Kay of Bleacher Report wrote in his article. "The team was rewarded for its patience - it only traded up a single spot to get its man and now appears to have a much more complete defense than it fielded in 2025."

Kay believes Downs has all the tools and football intelligence to be an immediate impact player, which could land him the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar