Cowboys eye top safety prospect Caleb Downs despite injury concerns, balancing star talent with medical red flags as draft day looms.
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have a long-standing habit of drafting highly-talented prospects at a "bargain'' slot because the prospects come with injury risks.
"America's Team'' owner Jerry Jones swears that as Dallas preps for the 2026 NFL Draft, he's done with that habit.
"We can't redshirt a ... pick," Jones said. "We can't redshirt those guys this year. We gotta go… We got to go this year.''
It's a sound-enough philosophy.
But Caleb Downs is about to test it.
Downs has been "red-flagged'' with a knee issue at the Combine, which is definitely something to keep an eye on for any team that is thinking about drafting the 21-year-old safety.
That's especially true in Dallas, according to Jones' own words.
The specifics here, per reports: Downs may have a partially torn meniscus concern and a potentially degenerative ACL.
Said a source on the Cowboys' position here: "Too early. We need a second round of tests to know what we're dealing with.''
So Dallas' position here: Love the player. Wait on the medicals.
In a recent article by John Kosko of Pro Football Focus, he gives what he thinks is the best-case scenario for every NFC team in the upcoming draft. For the Cowboys, he thinks what they should do is "plug holes on defense", and he thinks the best way to do that is with Ohio State star safety Caleb Downs.
"A projected top-10 pick and the Cowboys selecting 12th overall, Downs would be a dream scenario for Dallas," Kosko writes. "Highly instinctual and an explosive athlete, Downs would immediately upgrade the safety room and the whole defense. He earned an 85.0-plus PFF coverage grade in each of his three college seasons. Stout against the run and excellent in coverage, Downs makes every player around him better."
Most mock drafts have Downs going somewhere in the top 10, but the Cowboys can send up a prayer that he could fall to them at No. 12.
And that medical red flag could be the result of that prayer.
Many consider the Ohio State product to be one of the best safety prospects in recent memory, if not ever; we have reported that the Cowboys themselves feel that way.
And it doesn't take long when you take a look at his stats to see why.
In three college seasons, two with Ohio State and one with Alabama, Downs racked up 257 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and even 1.5 sacks. He also has got some ball-hawk skills with 12 passes defended and six interceptions.
He has also returned punts in the past for both the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide, and he was even able to take two all the way back to the house.
If that isn't a mark of a defensive back who can literally do it all, we don't know what is.
But ...
Downs being "red-flagged'' with a knee issue at the Combine could scare off some suitors.
But for the Cowboys? If they get the right info, he may be worth taking a chance on, as Downs is a generational talent at the safety position. If he somehow falls to Dallas at the 12th pick, the Cowboys - assuming he passes their physical testing - could have a defense well on its way back to dominance.