There was a lot of debate before the 2026 NFL Draft whether the Dallas Cowboys should jump into the top 10 for a star defensive prospect. The Cowboys did move up but just one spot to secure safety Caleb Downs.

The Ohio State product has been with the Cowboys for nine days. NFL rookie minicamp has just started. But unsurprisingly, Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer already likes what he sees.

Schottenheimer shared with reporters Saturday what has stood out with Downs during Cowboys rookie minicamp.

“The person, elite. The intelligence, elite,” Schottenheimer said of Downs. “It’s cool for me on the field to watch the ability for him to be going in any direction and how quickly he can get into balance. Why that matters is it matters with the ability to tackle in open field space, make plays on the ball in coverage, time up blitzes.

“He’s just got incredible lower-body athleticism that when you watch him, he always gets into that same position where he’s ready to strike with the same foot, same shoulder whether it’s left foot forward, right foot forward.

“The way he moves in the individual periods, which is really what mostly this camp is going to be, it’s very impressive how he can do that.”

The Cowboys selected Downs at No. 11 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Downs was the first safety off the board in the class.

What Safety Caleb Downs Will Bring to Cowboys

One could argue linebacker Sonny Styles would have filled the very biggest need in Dallas. The Cowboys were near the bottom in a lot of defensive categories last season.

A significant upgrade at inside linebacker would have begun to solve a lot of those issues.

But Downs will do a lot of that at safety. His playmaking ability against the run and pass is a great match with new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

“Downs is an alpha who brings immense juice on each snap. He’s at his best when deployed near the line as a box safety or big nickel back,” wrote NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “He’ll gamble a little bit as a run defender, but he makes more than enough disruptive plays near the line of scrimmage to make up for it.

“He’s fluent in man or zone over the first two levels and is rarely fooled by play-action or misdirection.

“Downs isn’t the biggest, fastest or most versatile player, but he consistently puts his stamp on games.”

Downs made the All-American team twice at Ohio State. Last season, he posted 68 combined tackles, including five tackles for loss, two pass defenses, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in 14 games.

Cowboys 2026 Offseason Workout Schedule

Downs and the rest of the Cowboys rookies are at the team’s facility this weekend. Dallas’ rookie minicamp will run from May 1-3.

Then the rookies will leave the team for a brief period because NFL rules require that. Schottenheimer told reporters Saturday that’s something the league might want to consider changing, but any alterations to NFL offseason rules won’t be coming this month.

The team’s organized offseason workouts will then resume on June 1. The Cowboys will practice six days and then hold their mandatory minicamp from June 16-18.

Downs is likely to be a storyline for the Cowboys throughout those workouts and into training camp. In 2026, he could also a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year.