Former Ohio State defensive back Caleb Downs reveals how and why he settled on wearing No. 13.
Josh Downs said the quiet part out loud. He told his younger brother what the story was inside the Indianapolis Colts' locker room.
"Our equipment manager here was like, 'Bro, tell your brother not to wear number 18.'" He said it through a laugh, but it was exactly what everyone was thinking when Caleb Downs rolled out to his first NFL practice for the Dallas Cowboys, rocking the number 18.
It's not all that surprising when rookies get the short end of the stick in terms of their number choice, but for Caleb Downs, he still needed a number change.
The number 13 is a fairly iconic number in the NFL. The headliner here is obviously Odell Beckham Jr., who made the number famous with his spectacular catches, huge personality, and big-time plays.
Some of the others were quarterback were Hall of Famers Dan Marino and Kurt Warner, and then another playmaker, and former Buckeye, Mike Thomas.
Downs is trying to write his own history, and he is going to do it wearing the number 13 himself, at least for now.
If I were asked to give my vote, I'd say find another number, but for Downs, this number has meaning to it. He isn't doing it to emulate Beckham Jr or Thomas; he is doing it for his former teammate Malachi Moore.
Moore was one of the leaders of the Alabama defense when Downs came in as a true freshman in 2022. Moore ended up playing five seasons at Alabama, where he made himself into a very solid player for the Crimson Tide.
In the 2025 NFL Draft, he was selected in the fourth round by the New York Jets. His rookie year turned out to be a very solid one. He finished the season, starting 15 of the 17 games that he played in. He notched 101 tackles, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Downs is trying to replicate that from his former teammate at the next level. With all that said, I do think there is a world in a year or two where Downs makes the jump back to a single digit, preferably number 2, and begins rewriting his story in Dallas.
Time will tell, but for now, it's number 13 for the former Buckeye.
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