Caleb Downs already changing Cowboys' thought process: 'This guy is different'

Jerry had asked Schottenehimer earlier in the week to make a list of the players that he would be "sick to your stomach that we didn't get," Jones explained.

Downs was one of four names written on that piece of paper.

But others on the Cowboys coaching staff had also been planting seeds, with newly-hired defensive coordinator Christian Parker apparently doing an end-around on vice president of player personnel Will McClay and sending daily pictures of Downs, in a subliminal attempt to manifest the pick.

And now the player described by many as the smartest prospect in this year's draft class is a Cowboy.

"It gives you flexibility," Schottenehimer said of Downs. "You're going to have moving pieces: how we want to play the safeties and do different things. And we feel like the one thing we know for sure is that Caleb will be down in the box and he'll be lurking and he'll be blitzing and he'll be filling B- and C-gaps. He's one of those tools. When you gameplan for a guy like that, you have to be aware of where he is because he can do so many things well. He can blitz well. He can fill the run well. He can cover really well."

Downs may be listed in the gameday program as a safety, but he'll be handling multiple roles.

"Tons of versatility in terms of what he can do for us on the defensive side of the ball," Stephen Jones concurred, "whether it's playing in the nickel, being a corner, whether it's playing safety."

Schottenheimer acknowledged that Downs likely won't wear the green dot as the defensive signal-caller; a linebacker will likely take that job. But, per the coach, "the nickel is going to make a ton of calls. He's going to drive the communication."

For that particular responsibility, it takes a special leadership quality. Everyone already agrees that Downs has that by the truckload.

It's something they saw first-hand when they hosted Downs as part of a larger group of prospects at the team facility, all part of the extensive pre-draft interview process.

"When you bring in eight to 10 guys, you kind of figure out who they follow," Schottenheimer said. "And it was very evident that Caleb's got that personality, that demeanor, that the guys gravitate to him. Talking about other players: other elite players around the country."

They're not the only ones. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban routinely raves about Downs from his one year with the Crimson Tide, calling him- even as a freshman in 2023- one of the most impressive players he's ever been around.

"When you hear Coach Saban and people talk about how smart he is," McClay explained, "He's a multiplier. He's going to make other people better."

"It's his control and his command of the defense," Schottenheimer said. "This guy drove the defense at Ohio State. He made all the calls, made all the checks. And it was really, really cool talking to [Buckeyes defensive coordinator and former NFL coach] Matt Patricia and some of the guys we reached out to to hear them talk about [how] it was immediate. It was not, 'Oh, it took a little while.' It was immediate."

Downs's impact on the Cowboys locker room looks to be immediate, too, with the coach sharing how several of his veteran players are already in the Caleb Downs Fan Club.

"My phone started blowing up when we made the selection of Caleb, and the very first text I got was from [ex-Alabama offensive lineman] Tyler Booker, and he was ecstatic. He was like, 'This guy is different.'"

It's hard to expect one rookie to change the fortunes of an entire NFL defense. But Downs and his improbable selection by the Cowboys has ownership, coaches, players, and fans alike thinking that a real change may be coming very soon.

Downs's sky-high potential as a truly special talent, team leader, and foundational building block may have already been enough to convince one newcomer to put down roots in Dallas.

"When we got Caleb, [Christian Parker] told me," Schottenehimer revealed Thursday, "'Hey, now I'll buy a house.'"

Settle in, Cowboys Nation. This could indeed be fun for quite some time.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys pick Caleb Downs already changing thinking, hopes for defense