Cowboys DC Christian Parker already taking full advantage of Caleb Downs’ skillset

During the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys were constantly linked to Ohio State star Caleb Downs. The versatile defensive back was viewed as someone who could immediately change the Cowboys’ defense, which was one of the worst in the NFL last season.

It came as no surprise when the Cowboys scooped Downs up with the No. 11 overall pick in the draft. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker became known for his excellent work with the secondary of the Philadelphia Eagles in recent years, and now he has the best defensive back in college football over the last three years on his side.

Early in Downs’ first training camp, he is already showing off all of the different things that he can do on the field. Parker is already playing him all over the field on defense, as reported by Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News.

“In the last three plays I’ve seen Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs line up near the edge, in the box, and play deep middle third,” Hoyt reported on X, formerly Twitter. “They wanted a versatile defensive back and they plan to use Downs accordingly.”

This should come as no surprise, as Downs played all of these positions during his time in college. In 2025, Matt Patricia used Downs as a rover in the middle of the field on a number of occasions, along with putting him down in the box plenty to help defend the run. That is one of his strengths and something that Parker will lean on throughout his first season calling the shots in Dallas.

Downs fit into the Cowboys’ starting secondary as the nickel at camp on Wednesday. New addition Cobie Durant and DaRon Bland started on the outside at cornerback, and Malik Hooker and Jalen Thompson got the first reps at safety.

It’s easy to see Downs in a similar role to Nick Emmanwori with the Seahawks and Kyle Hamilton with the Ravens. Despite having a smaller build than them, he showed similar skills in college and could bring the same dynamic ability to the NFL.

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