Over the course of 12 seasons, through five Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pro selections and three Super Bowl titles, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better safety than the Dallas Cowboys had in Darren Woodson. So when team owner Jerry Jones conjured up the name of Woodson when talking about Caleb Downs, the team’s first pick in this year’s NFL draft, it was an eye-opening moment.
Now, Jones can be prone to hyperbole, so it’d be understandable if the Woodson comparison was taken with a grain of salt. But after the draft selection, Woodson himself appeared on the “DLLS Cowboys Podcast” with longtime beat writer Clarence Hill–who called Downs a Woodson “clone”–and Woodson certainly endorsed the comp.
It’s a lot of pressure to put on the 21-year-old incoming rookie, but after three big seasons in college football–first with Nick Saban in Alabama, then on to win a national championship with Ohio State–Downs appears to have the talent and mentality to live up to it.
Caleb Downs Could Change Cowboys Culture
For Woodson, it’s that second aspect–the mentality–that stands out with Downs. Woodson watched a Cowboys defense that could not get out of its own way in 2025, and said the unit really needs a leader who will take charge.
Said Woodson: “I think it is more for the mental state and the culture of this team, that is why I was excited. Because I watched this kid play the last couple of years and I remember his first year in college and everybody talking about him and that’s kind of when I started to follow him a little bit. But all I heard about was his leadership capabilities and his willingness to stay after and sit down with coaches and learn the schemes, and find out where his weaknesses were.
“That’s the part of it that really intrigued me about Caleb Downs. Is he a good tackler? Absolutely. Is he a guy who plays well in space, yes. But culturally, this organization has needed someone to come in and be the general and be the quarterback of that defense for a long time. And I think that’s been the missing ingredient.”
Cowboys Defense ‘Could Barely Get Lined Up’
At Pro Football Focus, the Cowboys were graded out at a 30.9 in pass coverage last season, which was the worst in the NFL by a significant margin (the Jets were No. 31 at 32.2). The cornerbacks were the main problem, but the safeties were not much better. Downs will give the Cowboys a player who can get things organized.
Said Woodson: “I have watched this team the last couple of years and this team could barely get lined up. And they bust coverages consistently. That is, I am hoping that is the first thing that changes with this addition of Caleb Downs.”
Caleb Downs Leadership Is Needed
But Downs’ reputation for being detail-oriented will also be of use for the Cowboys when he takes the field. Downs is known as a fanatical worker, and Woodson said he hopes he can be the kind of emotional and spiritual leader on the defensive side of the ball as Dak Prescott is on the offensive side.
“I am so excited about the guy, the player that’s going to be in that locker room,” Woodson said. “I’m excited about the guy in the offseason who is going to show up when everybody is back home training away, he’s going to show up.”
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