A relentless wave of injuries has decimated the Dallas secondary, leaving the front office scrambling for veteran reinforcements to salvage a defense suddenly pushed to its breaking point.
The Dallas Cowboys spent an offseason imagining all the different places Caleb Downs could play. Three weeks into the season, they may need him to settle into one.
Malik Hooker fractured his forearm in Week 1 and underwent surgery. P.J. Locke tore the plantar fascia in his foot a week later and is now on injured reserve-designated to return.
Then Jalen Thompson injured his hamstring Sunday against Baltimore and couldn't finish the game.
For a stretch in Rio, even Markquese Bell was unavailable while dealing with dehydration.
At some point, the list starts to sound less like an injury report and more like a reason to start scrolling through old contacts.
Justin Simmons, anyone?
Simmons has been floated as a Cowboys possibility before, and his connection to defensive coordinator Christian Parker is legitimate after their time together in Denver.
He retired in April … so that probably closes the door before Dallas can even knock.
Earl Thomas once famously told Jason Garrett to "come get me," although that was nearly nine years ago — and he hasn't played an NFL game since the 2019 season.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was a player Dallas had legitimate interest in before the Jets acquired him this offseason, although he's now dealing with a groin injury himself.
None of those names represents an especially realistic solution, and that's sort of the point.
Dallas has reached the stage where almost every familiar veteran safety name could at least enter the conversation for a few seconds.
Some former Cowboys are trying to enter it themselves, too.
Juanyeh Thomas appeared to float the possibility of a reunion while watching Sunday's game, posting a GIF that read, "I'll be home soon."
Indianapolis released him during final cuts in August, Dallas already knows what he can provide and — given the state of the safety room — a phone call would hardly be surprising.
Then former second-round pick ... Kelvin Joseph (yikes) ... seemed to hint at a Dallas return on social media as well.
Thomas and Joseph aren't suddenly difference-makers because the Cowboys got hurt, and neither solves the entire problem.
What their apparent interest illustrates is how quickly Dallas has gone from carefully constructing a versatile secondary to potentially needing familiar bodies simply to keep the rest of it functional.
Because the injuries aren't stopping at safety.
Starting corner Cobie Durant missed Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, while Shavon Revel Jr. also exited against Baltimore after appearing to injure his knee.
Reddy Steward was elevated from the practice squad in part because he can play both nickel and safety, but Dallas suddenly needs depth almost everywhere he could conceivably help.
Unless you believe Dallas is trading for Pittsburgh corner Joey Porter Jr. ... that's where Downs comes in.
Dallas drafted Downs with no reason for Parker to define him by one position. He could play safety, line up at nickel, work closer to the line of scrimmage and move around enough before the snap to force quarterbacks to account for him without knowing exactly where he would end up.
That versatility was supposed to be one of the defining features of Parker's defense.
Even after Hooker went down, Brian Schottenheimer made Dallas' preference clear. Downs could play deeper if necessary, but the Cowboys liked him closer to the line of scrimmage — where his instincts and ability to trigger downhill could affect the game in more ways.
Against Washington, Dallas found another answer when Locke went down. Bell handled deeper responsibilities while Downs remained closer to the action.
Against Baltimore … eventually there weren't enough alternatives left.
Thompson's hamstring injury forced another reshuffle. Alijah Clark entered the rotation, Steward became more important and Downs spent more time at safety as Dallas tried to hold an increasingly battered secondary together.
If Thompson misses time, moving Downs deeper is probably the easiest answer.
He can handle it. There would be nothing unusual about asking one of football's best young defensive backs to play the position he became a star playing in college.
The problem is what Dallas potentially sacrifices by doing it.
Every snap Downs spends as a more conventional deep safety is one fewer opportunity to deploy him around the box, at nickel or in the disguised looks Parker envisioned for him.
Dallas can solve part of its safety problem by moving Downs backward — but doing so could make one of its most versatile defenders considerably easier to locate.
That's why adding someone matters beyond simply filling another spot on the depth chart.
Maybe Hooker returns soon enough to prevent that conversation from lasting very long. Maybe Thompson's hamstring proves minor. Dallas had not provided a timetable for either as of Sunday night, and those updates will shape what comes next.
Until then, the Cowboys have some decisions to make.
Thomas represents a familiar and realistic option. Joseph apparently wouldn't mind another look. Simmons, Earl Thomas and Fitzpatrick? Far more entertaining hypotheticals than probable solutions.
The bigger concern sits on the roster already.
Dallas spent months figuring out how many different things Caleb Downs could do for this defense.
Its growing injury list may soon force the Cowboys to decide which one they need most.
