Caleb Downs turned heads when he moved from his college No. 2 jersey to No. 13 after briefly wearing No. 18 at Cowboys rookie camp. Many assumed the number pointed to Odell Beckham Jr. As much as people wanted that to be true, Downs cleared the air and gave the real reason behind choosing 13. It had very little to do with OBJ.

On Episode 14 of the Downs 2 Business podcast, Caleb Downs gave an in-depth breakdown explaining that his switch to jersey number 13 was both a tactical aesthetic choice and an homage to former Alabama DB Malachi Moore.

“All right, let’s talk about that number, man. 13 Odell Beckham Jr. Is that why you picked the number, or what?” Colts wide receiver Josh Downs directly asked him if the number was an homage to Odell Beckham Jr. Caleb clarified the dual meaning behind the choice.

Downs said it was partly because of Odell, but then proceeded to pay homage to one of the most underrated Alabama DBs of the 2020s: “I mean, it was Odell, but like defensive-wise: it was Malachi Moore. Shout out to Malachi. When he was at Bama his freshman year. Watching that, when I was like a freshman in high school, I was like, oh, that’s tough, 13, that’s smooth.”

Downs was not chasing a flashy trend here. He was remembering a college defender whose look stayed with him from his high school days. Moore arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2020 as a four-star recruit and one of the best DBs in the country. Within a very short time, he became the first true freshman defensive back to start a season opener for Alabama since Minkah Fitzpatrick, and he also won a national title as a true freshman.

He played in Tuscaloosa for five years and appeared in 64 games. He started his career as a nickel under Saban and later transitioned to deep safety. Over his college stint, he recorded 214 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 25 passes defended, and three forced fumbles.

Once he finished his college career at Alabama, the New York Jets traded up in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Moore at No. 130 overall. Initially, he was projected to be a special teams player until the Jets’ DBs started getting injured left and right. Because of that, he played all 17 games and became the first Jets rookie defensive back in 20 years to record 90+ tackles in a single season, ultimately finishing his campaign with 101 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble.

Even though OBJ was part of the reason for choosing No. 13, watching Malachi wear that number stuck with Caleb for years, even after Downs left Bama just after one season. However, ironically, though, No. 13 was not Caleb’s first choice after arriving in Dallas.

Caleb actually started his Cowboys journey wearing No. 18 during rookie minicamp, and the team’s equipment manager didn’t like it one bit. In fact, he hated it apparently. The manager straight-up told Caleb’s family that he couldn’t stand seeing a premier defensive back wearing that number because it was weird and it reminded him of Peyton Manning.

He basically demanded Caleb change it to something that actually fit a hard-hitting safety. So, the question everyone had in mind was: why did he switch from his iconic No. 2?

The reason for not choosing the No. 2 jersey

Downs became a household name wearing No. 2 at both Alabama and Ohio State. Truth be told, he desperately wanted to keep it. The number genuinely represents his two core anchors: his faith and his family. However, a hurdle stood in his way.

Veteran Seniority: Free-agent cornerback Cobie Durant had already been assigned No. 2 by the team.

The Frugal Factor: In the modern NFL, a rookie can technically “buy” a jersey number from a veteran if both sides agree on a price. However, the Downs family noted that Caleb is highly practical and frugal with his money. Rather than cutting a massive check to Durant as a rookie just for a jersey number, Caleb preferred to look at the vacant roster numbers and establish a new homage to someone he looked up to.

Even though Caleb openly admits the No. 13 jersey looks a bit uncanny and awkward on him right now, Cowboys fans don’t care at all. Fanatics reported that his jersey instantly became the top-selling jersey of the entire draft class. However, if the No. 2 jersey ever becomes available again, he would take it back in a heartbeat without an ounce of doubt.