It goes without saying that every new member of the revamped Dallas Cowboys' defense should be lucky they didn't have to endure playing for the unmitigated disaster that was the 2025 Dallas defense. Not only was the unit clearly the worst in the NFL last year, but they were also historically bad.
Thankfully, Jerry Jones came to his senses and fired Matt Eberflus, because the defense is in a much better spot under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. The system is better, and the personnel is much better, which can partially be attributed to Caleb Downs.
It seems like the first-round rookie is happy he didn't have to play for Dallas' defense in 2025 either. While appearing on the St. Brown Podcast, Amon-Ra St. Brown talked trash about the Cowboys surrendering 44 points to the Lions in Week 14, which led to an interesting admission from Downs.
Caleb Downs should be lucky he got drafted to the Cowboys when he did
Even Downs didn't know how bad the Dallas defense was when he was drafted. He revealed that when he found out the Cowboys surrendered a league-worst 30.1 points per game in 2025, he was slightly taken aback. And given how unwatchable the pass defense was, it's hard to really blame him.
"It was weird when I got there," Downs said. "We were talking about the defense and everything. Then I looked up how many points they gave up per game, and I was like, 30 points per game? I was like okay."
Downs' comments also underscore the impact Parker has already had and will continue to have in The Lone Star State. The bar could literally not be any lower after what Eberflus accomplished, and with DBs who actually know how to play football, the secondary has to improve.
In terms of elevating a defense (and secondary) that was brutal a season ago, the reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner is the best prospect they could've drafted. A guy with his football IQ and range makes any defense better, and the fact he'll be used in the nickel and at safety is going to be fun.
It's still shocking that the Cowboys were able to land the Ohio State product with the 11th pick. He's a top-five talent who only slipped down the board due to positional value, and he couldn't have landed in a better spot to make an immediate impact, which he has done in OTAs.
It's pretty awesome. Not only has the Cowboys' defense improved by adding players like Downs, but their offense is as dangerous as ever.
In a vacuum, Downs should feel lucky he was drafted by Dallas when he was, because this defense is due for a turnaround, and they are built to compete for years to come.
Add us as a preferred source on Google