Overview
- In early June OTAs the Cowboys rotated first-round pick Caleb Downs through safety, slot and nickel spots and gave him reps fielding punts and serving as a punt personal protector.
- Coaches and teammates have praised Downs’s football intelligence and leadership after observers heard him directing alignments and correcting teammates during drills.
- Downs has a documented college return pedigree with two career punt-return touchdowns, which helps explain why Dallas is testing him on returns despite limited recent return volume.
- Analysts and local reporters warn that using a premium defensive rookie on punt returns carries clear injury risk that could remove him from his primary defensive role and force roster ripple effects.
- The team is treating the work as exploratory and will use training camp and preseason games to decide whether to formalize Downs’s defensive assignments or any regular special-teams role.