Simply three weeks stand between the Dallas Cowboys and the beginning of 2026 OTAs. The offseason rolls on, however Dallas and the opposite 31 NFL franchises have made virtually the entire vital strikes they’ll make earlier than the beginning of coaching camp.
Dallas’ roster seems to be considerably completely different than it did right now final yr, notably on the defensive aspect of the ball. With that thought in thoughts, right this moment we kick off a collection rating the highest 10 gamers on the Cowboys roster for the 2026 season.
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2025 Recap: After enjoying a key function on the eventual nationwide champion Ohio State Buckeyes within the 2024 season, Caleb Downs entered the 2025 marketing campaign with even loftier expectations. In what was undoubtedly going to be his ultimate faculty season, the junior security emerged because the centerpiece of Ohio State’s protection.
Week in and week out, Downs constantly drew consideration as one of the crucial full defensive gamers in faculty soccer. The protection was routinely matched up in opposition to high receivers and excelled at erasing explosive performs. His management and soccer IQ anchored a Buckeye protection that helped lead their staff to an undefeated common season.
Downs’ dominant junior yr made him far and away probably the greatest defensive gamers in all of faculty soccer. The protection gained the distinguished Jim Thorpe Award because the nation’s high defensive again and in addition gained the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which acknowledges excellence on and off the sector. The awards didn’t cease there; Downs was named the Massive 10 Defensive Participant of the 12 months whereas additionally being acknowledged as a unanimous First-Workforce All-American.
Past the awards, Downs’ 2025 marketing campaign dramatically elevated his NFL draft profile. NFL groups had been already intrigued by his uncommon instincts and intelligence coming into the yr, however his elite stage of play in his junior yr answered any remaining questions groups might have had about his NFL potential. Downs was clearly an elite prospect, and his physicality in run help, ball expertise in protection, and superior processing means made him a sure-fire first-round choose come April.
2026 Preview: It’s nonetheless exhausting to consider 9 groups handed on Downs, permitting the Cowboys to commerce up and choose him at choose 11. All through the draft course of, Downs was seen as far and away the most effective match of any defensive prospect in Dallas’ new-look protection. The 21-year-old is the right centerpiece for what new defensive coordinator Christian Parker desires this protection to turn into.
Parker’s scheme is constructed round three issues: Versatility, disguise, and communication. Downs checks each certainly one of these containers. Throughout his time at Ohio State, Downs confirmed he might line up deep, play within the slot, come downhill in opposition to the run, blitz off the sting, and erase tight ends in protection. That form of flexibility is precisely what Parker was searching for in a nickel and security defender, making Downs a really perfect match for the function.
Whereas he is only one participant, Downs is the kind of expertise that may elevate the complete Cowboys’ protection. Dallas was one of many league’s worst groups at defending the go final season, notably when dealing with offenses that attacked the center of the sector and manipulated coverages. Downs will instantly assist on this regard, and his skills and excessive soccer IQ ought to assist restrict the variety of lapses in protection, one thing we noticed time and time once more from Dallas’ protection final season.
Downs enters his rookie yr with extraordinarily excessive expectations for a first-year participant, however he’s greater than able to residing as much as them. The rookie might be a foundational piece of Christian Parker’s protection, and Dallas’ new DC will use him in quite a lot of other ways to assist decelerate opposing offenses.
Prediction: Caleb Downs is called 2026 Defensive Rookie of the 12 months as his presence transforms Dallas’ protection right into a high 15 unit.
