Two-time Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs’ Cowboys journey came to an unexpected end. His release left a $5.9M cap hole in the secondary, with Brian Schottenheimer hunting for help in the draft. Ex-ESPN analyst Todd McShay claims to have the perfect fix for Dallas’ new head coach: an overlooked Ohio State safety, who went below the radar because of a couple of his teammates.

“Caleb Downs, his tape this year doesn’t look any different than last year. It’s just that Arvell Reese turned into a superhuman for most of the season,” Todd McShay said on January 5 when he sat with analyst Steve Muench for his mock draft. “And when he wasn’t superhuman, Sonny Styles went from a good player to an absolutely sensational player in front of him.”

McShay believes that Caleb Downs really put on a strong showing in 2025, bested only by Sonny Style and especially Arvell Reese, who made the most impact. In his words, Downs was just “lost in the shuffle.” Todd McShay added, “But you go look at his tape, his stats, his grades, everything that you want to look at. Anywhere you get your information from, it’s all the same as last year,” McShay added.

Caleb Downs had an explosive outing with Ohio State in his debut season, skyrocketing his NFL draft stock. The 6-foot and 205 lbs junior safety totaled 81 tackles and defended 6 passes in OSU’s national championship run in 2024. Before that season, Downs was with Alabama as a freshman and lit up SEC offenses. The Hoschton, Georgia, native accumulated 107 tackles, which included 70 solo tackles, along with notching 2 interceptions. Consequently, NFL scouts quickly began to notice.

Following 2025’s 68 tackles and 2 interception performance, even prominent draft guru Mel Kiper placed Downs at the top of his NFL mock draft on January 2. “Downs — the brother of NFL wide receiver Josh Downs and the son of former NFL running back Gary Downs — is basically an extension of the defensive coordinator,” Kiper wrote. Kiper gave Downs the 11th overall pick, just one place ahead of what McShay has graded Downs, taken by Jerry Jones’ Cowboys.

The Ohio State junior is a complete defensive beast whom the Cowboys can use instantly. Talk about instincts, positioning, and physicality? Downs showed that against Purdue in 2025, when he anticipated a dig route from the middle. Want that extra power against run defense and versatility? In just his freshman year at Bama, Downs totaled 13 tackles against Mississippi State.

The Georgia native demonstrated exceptional physicality in the box and open-field tracking. Plus, who can forget his 2025 Michigan game, where he showed elite ball skills under pressure. The skillset that Downs brings to the table is bound to help the Cowboys’ defense. The unit has struggled massively last year and needs a solid player like Downs to trigger a revival.

The Cowboys’ defensive unit was one of the worst in the team’s star-studded history. The team finished 32nd in scoring defense, surrendering 511 points, a franchise record. As a consequence, the team finished with a woeful 7-9-1 record and failed to even qualify for the playoffs. Additionally, the team failed to generate turnovers, forced offense to start at poor field positions, and allowed extended drives. In that regard, Caleb Downs seems like a natural aid for the Cowboys’ woes.

Dallas Cowboys and Caleb Downs fit together like a glove

Downs doesn’t just play the safety position, the player is versatile like a Swiss knife. He can be deployed as a single high or two high safety, where he perfectly diagnoses pre-snap and removes mistakes. The junior can also be pivotal in generating turnovers, as he has a CFP record where he forced two fumbles in a single game.

Moreover, if the defensive setup requires the OSU safety to deep center as Dallas prioritizes, it won’t be a herculean task either for the player. Downs has consistently displayed modern Darren Woodson-esque ball skills. Dropping into the box, enforcing runs, and even blitzing on key moments. 

“Dallas could use a leader, a glue guy, a guy who’s always in the right position, who’s unbelievably instinctive, who’s going to cut down on big plays and make big plays,” McShay said. “I just love that fit if Dallas would wind up going with Downs.”

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At the Cowboys’ secondary, Downs will be a fresh change, who has had injury issues with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. Plus, many of its players, like Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker, have contracts expiring. Nevertheless, the major reason is still Diggs’ release from the Cowboys squad, leaving the secondary thin.

Notably, the team chose to release Diggs just 2 months after giving him a $97 million contract extension. However, the team will eat up just $5.9 million in cap charge and won’t owe a single penny to Diggs moving forward. Diggs has totaled 240 tackles with the Cowboys ever since he joined the team in 2020 and has 20 interceptions to his name. In Diggs’ absence, the Caleb Downs possibility seems real, though it still has a catch.

Caleb still has one more year of eligibility left to play college ball. Not to mention, the player hasn’t made his NFL draft decision yet. Although he has until mid-January to make that decision. But without the assurance, nothing can be set in stone as of yet for the Cowboys.