No doubt that, since the Dallas Cowboys traded up a slot on draft night to ensure they could acquire the rights to star Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, much around Downs has proven to be big. He is a big hitter with a big resume, a big reputation and a big personality. But he is also facing very big expectations from a Cowboys fan base that watched a league-worst defense last season, a bunch that struggled tremendously after trading away the leader of that unit, Micah Parsons.
Cowboys fans badly want to see the defense retooled and rebuilt, and as much as that falls on coordinator Christian Parker to set the scheme off the field, it will fall on Downs to lead the execution of that defense on it. At least, that’s the early consensus around the team.
But it’s important to remember that, even though Downs was an immediate collegiate star at Alabama as a teenage freshman and saw his legend grow more when he transferred to Ohio State to help win a championship as a sophomore, Downs is going to need time. The hullaballoo around Downs this offseason suggests he will be an instant star–but that’s not exactly a fair expectation.
Cowboys Beat Reporter: ‘Don’t Do That’
So says veteran Cowboys beat reporter Clarence Hill of DLLS Cowboys, who notes that Downs has already seen his expectations puffed up far too high for a 21-year-old playing against rough-and-tumble NFL vets.
Speaking on the DLLS Cowboys podcast this week, Hill said, “Everybody loves Caleb Downs. But he is a rookie. He’s not been perfect. He has been getting ridden up. He has had his bumps. Since the veterans have been out there—CeeDee, Ferguson, they’ve all given him a welcome to the NFL moment. Thing about Caleb, like they talk about, he is in the film room. He does not pout, he does not fall apart. He goes and studies, everything they said about him, like last week, talking about, couldn’t find Caleb. He’s in the film room. He’s studying.
“But the idea that he is going to come out and be the best safety in the league as a rookie, we gotta stop that. Don’t do that.”
Brian Schottenheimer Tamps Down Caleb Downs Expectations
And it’s not just Hill that has been expounding that warning on Downs. It was something that coach Brian Schottenheimer said last week, too, at the Cowboys’ first round of OTA practices, when it was clear that Downs lost some battles against the team’s offensive stars.
“Expectations on all high draft picks are real,” sSchottenheimer said. “They’re also probably a little bit too high. There’s a transition period, there are going to be mistakes that are made.”
As Hill referenced, Downs is known for extensive film study, and Schottenheimer pointed out, that’s a refreshing thing for the Cowboys when it comes to Downs.
“One of the greatest compliments you can give a young player is they don’t repeat mistakes,” Schottenheimer said. “Like if you tell Caleb one thing—and he’s made mistakes throughout the course of Phase II and OTAs, and even the last couple of practices—but he doesn’t make the same mistake twice.”
Cowboys Backers Get Warning on Caleb Downs: ‘Stop That’