When the Dallas Cowboys traded up for Caleb Downs in the 2026 NFL Draft, they envisioned him being a movable chess piece for Christian Parker’s defense. They believed he could not only be an impact safety, but also a high-caliber slot defender who can help the team’s run defense.
And through the first quarter of his rookie season, Downs has been everything the Cowboys could have asked for and more. Downs leads the team in solo tackles (19) and total tackles (29), and he’s also tied for the team lead in sacks (1), although that says more about the defensive line than Downs.
But what grade would you give Downs after the first four games of his career? Let’s dive in.
Caleb Downs has been excellent despite Week 4 struggles
The first three games of Downs’ career were spectacular despite the defense failing to live up to expectations. He is rarely out of position and has done an excellent job of being a reliable tackler on a defense that doesn’t have very many.
But the Cowboys were forced to move Downs away from the slot and back to more of a traditional safety spot in Week 4, and the results were mixed.
In a recent article by Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus, he wrote about Downs against the Texans and how he performed. Here is a snippet of what Wasserman had to say about the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft:
"Downs struggled to a season-low 47.6 PFF coverage grade in Dallas’ wild shootout victory over Houston. He allowed five receptions totaling 54 yards and a touchdown. Downs was asked to play as more of a true free safety this week and seems to be late to some of his reads, which is unusual for him. It’s reasonable to expect Downs to bounce back in the Cowboys’ next game versus Tampa Bay."
Considering how well Downs has played outside of the Houston game, it’s reasonable to think this was just a bad one-off performance. He is still one of the highest-graded safeties in the NFL and in theory, he should play better now that Dallas has another viable cornerback option in Joey Porter Jr.
If you wanted to dive into the negatives with Downs, it's that teams have had success throwing at him. Downs has allowed eight receptions on nine targets for 71 yards, per Pro Football Reference.
However, not all of those receptions have been successful plays for the offense. There have been several times when Downs "allowed" a short reception on third down, but made the tackle to help the Cowboys get off the field. And that's why these stats tend to be a bit noisy.
Downs is still waiting to grab his first career interception, and we are still hoping to see more splash plays, but it’s been an encouraging start for the former Ohio State Buckeye. Expect him to be even better in the next quarter of the season, as the Cowboys will need him to shine with big games coming up against the Packers and Eagles in primetime.
2026 Grade so far: B
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