Former NFL star Tyrann Mathieu, better known as The Honey Badger during his star-studded playing career, knows a few things about being a top-line NFL safety. Over the course of 12 seasons in the NFL, Mathieu picked off 36 passes, made 838 tackles and forced seven fumbles, earning three All-Pro honors and one Super Bowl championship with the Chiefs. And The Honey Badger is letting it be known going into the 2026 season–he likes what he sees from incoming Dallas Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs, the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s draft.
In fact, Mathieu said, the combination of Downs’ talent and the presence he will bring to a Cowboys defense that badly needs a presence after the disaster that was 2025, should put Downs in reach of a major NFL honor: The Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Mathieu is himself a former candidate, finishing fourth for the accolade back in 2013 after coming into the NFL with a hefty reputation from his time at LSU. Downs, similarly, is coming in as a star from his time first at Alabama as a freshman, then with Ohio State for two years, including one championship season.
Cowboys Will ‘Roll Out the Red Carpet’
It’s no surprise that Mathieu came up short on the DROY–not safety has won the award since Mark Carrier in 1990. One big difference benefiting Downs, as Mathieu sees it, is that he will have the Cowboys brand and owner Jerry Jones pushing him nationally.
Speaking on his podcast, “In the Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu,” the longtime star laid out his Downs prediction:
“Could you imagine Honey Badger in Jerry World? Every game is primetime. Every game is—rarely are you playing at 12. People watching you. I think Caleb has a great shot to have 100 tackles and to you know, get three sacks and three interceptions. I think that is sort of my expectation for him.
“And you know Jerry, Jerry is gonna roll out the red carpet. Jerry is gonna put him in a nice jersey number, memorabilia, he is gonna roll out the red carpet for him. He is going to market him the right way, let’s just say that. All he got to do is (expletive) show up, be himself and let Jerry do the work. But I think Caleb Downs. That’s my pick to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.”
Caleb Downs Excitement Is Building
No doubt, exposure and national popularity will go a long way toward nudging voters into one decision or another when it comes to awards like rookie of the year. And Mathieu is right, the Cowboys do not play a lot of run-of-the-mill Sunday afternoon games–they are slated to play only five noon CT games this year, meaning 12 will be national games. Seven of those are Thursday, Sunday or Monday night games.
Cowboys veterans are certainly excited about the addition of Downs and, indeed, if the team can show improvement of their 2025 defensive showing a significant part of the credit will go to Downs.
Said linebacker DeMarvion Overshown: “He’s here to help us win. He’s here to ball out. And so I’m excited. When you’ve got those types of players on your team, you always got a chance on Sundays.”
(Or Monday, or Thursday.)
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