The Dallas Cowboys have been one of the main laughingstocks of the NFL for years now, but in many cases, it's simply not warranted. People like to poke fun at this franchise, and they're sometimes viewed as a dysfunctional mess, but those people who believe that are sometimes flat-out wrong.
In 2025, the Cowboys sported one of the best offenses in the NFL, led by Dak Prescott, George Pickens, and CeeDee Lamb, also getting a career year from Javonte Williams. But as we all saw, the defensive side of the ball needed a boost.
In the offseason thus far, players like Jalen Thompson and Rashan Gary were added to the mix, and here in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cowboys made a flat-out stellar move and took Caleb Downs, a safety from Ohio State.
Dallas Cowboys just got the steal of Round 1 with major Caleb Downs pick
The Cowboys secondary just got a lot better. Downs is a flat-out excellent prospect and is a true blue-chip player in this class. One of the main issues that people attached to Downs this cycle was his position.
A safety is not usually a position seen as worthy of being taken this high in the NFL Draft, but that only makes Downs looks a lot better. Downs is not just a safety - he's a defensive back. He can truly do it all in the secondary, and while he's not someone who will constantly make splash plays, he's going to be all over the field, all the time.
He's got the intelligence to sort out the secondary and could even wear the green dot if needed. Downs has solid size for the position, and there's no real concern with his athletic profile or any of those traits. Suddenly, the Cowboys defense looks pretty formidable.
And this is a great thing - Dallas wasn't that far off even last year. This team still won seven games in 2025 and added defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in a trade. Frankly, all Dallas needs to do on the defensive side of the ball in 2026 is be average, and they'll easily win double-digit games and flirt with an NFC East title.
Dallas has also been to the playoffs many times in recent history, and Prescott himself has been a winning quarterback. The Cowboys are closer than you think and just took a major step to get back into the postseason.
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