Is Caleb Downs Playing Tonight? Cowboys Reveal Preseason Plan For Key Duo vs. Seahawks

One of the biggest talking points around the league when it comes to preseason football is whether or not the starters should play, and for the Dallas Cowboys under Brian Schottenheimer, we know his plan.

The starters sit out, often using the joint practices as they warm up for the regular season.

That leaves the rest of the roster, which Schotty broke up into groups of A, B, and C, in which each group has a set number of snaps they will play in games across the preseason.

Exactly where each player fits into that is a guessing game, but Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Quinnen Williams will be in the A group, meaning zero snaps, whereas someone like Sam Williams or Jaydon Blue might be in the B group and get 15-20 snaps against Seattle and so on.

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But what about the Cowboys' two first round picks in Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence?

Will we see them at Lumen Field?

"We're still working through the rotations, who's going to play, I think at some point they'll both play a little bit of football," Schottenheimer said. "But we're working through that now and get through practice and have a few more meetings to finalize it. But I would expect you'll probably see both of them play a little bit."

So, both Downs and Lawrence are expected to see the field; the big question is how much?

In truth, it might only be a series or two, at most, as the Cowboys clearly won't want to risk the health of two players who they will be relying on in 2026 to help push the defense forward under Christian Parker.

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The preseason games are used for those fighting for a roster spot or looking to move up the depth chart, with a chance to impress the coaching staff. For Downs and Lawrence, it could be a chance to get a taste of NFL football before Week 1 against the New York Giants.

Granted, likely to be up against Seattle's also-rans as well, it isn't like they will be going up against starters, but still, getting their feet wet, even for a series, could be beneficial.

The back-and-forth on whether key players should take part in preseason is a debate that has surged over the years, and while the Cowboys won't be risking their A+ talent, their top rookies, it appears, are set to feature in some capacity in Seattle.