The Cowboys may have found the rare draft spot where either turn of the card would have worked.
Dallas moved down one spot in the draft with the Miami Dolphins and still came away with Caleb Downs from Ohio State, a pick that has looked better with every passing day. Stephen Jones was reportedly in a rush to get the selection in, and now it’s easy to see why the Cowboys were eager to lock it down.
But the wild part is that Downs may not have been the only answer sitting there. Former Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. has been one of the most disruptive defenders in the preseason, which only sharpens the idea that Dallas had a true win-win on the clock.
Rueben Bain Jr 88.8
Arvell Reese 88.2
Akheem Mesidor 81.6 pic.twitter.com/5u8UA4StN
- PFF (@PFF) August 24, 2026
Bain Jr. went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 15, while the Cowboys landed Downs at No. 11 after the trade with Miami. Dallas could have justified taking Bain Jr. at No. 11 or No. 12 and walked away feeling great about it. He put up 54 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one blocked field goal, and he also won ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
His draft stock may have been affected by legal scrutiny after a car crash in 2024, but the talent never disappeared. That’s why Dallas would have been in position to make a major defensive swing either way.
Downs, though, brings a different kind of value. He’s a safety, and that still matters when teams are sorting out the draft board. The Giants had two chances to take him and passed both times, and John Harbaugh also passed on the Ohio State All-American when an elite safety was right there for the taking.
The Cowboys have clearly loved what they’ve seen and heard from Downs so far, and if the Giants end up regretting those missed chances, Dallas will only look smarter for taking him.
LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane was also part of the discussion for Dallas, but the Kansas City Chiefs took him sixth overall. Even with that option gone, the Cowboys may have already covered themselves at corner thanks to Shavon Revel, who appears to be trending toward becoming CB1 someday.
Dallas badly needed defensive help, especially after a rough season rushing the passer. That’s why Bain Jr. would have made sense.
But if the goal was to make one pick that could reshape the defense for years, Downs was the one. It’s still too soon to put him in the same breath as Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed, but when the Cowboys owner called him a “pied piper,” that was enough to tell you how they view him.
In Other News...
Cowboys Fans Will Never Forget Dolly Partons Thanksgiving Moment
Dolly Partons place in sports history went well beyond the stage, and Cowboys fans had a front-row seat to one of her most memorable moments in Arlington. In 2023, she brought her trademark showmanship to the teams Thanksgiving halftime show, adding another chapter to a career that had already touched everything from college athletics to NASCAR.
Partons family announced she died at 80, closing the book on a life that connected music, entertainment and sports in a way few performers ever have. For Dallas fans, the Thanksgiving performance will stand out as part of that legacy, a reminder that some moments linger long after the game itself is forgotten. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Defense Already Has Something To Prove After Davante Adams Claim
A training camp claim about Davante Adams has already given the Cowboys defense an early edge of urgency. A Rams insider said Adams was virtually uncoverable during joint practice against Dallas and the Saints, but a Cowboys insider pushed back and pointed to plays the defense did make, a reminder that the evaluation in camp often depends on who is telling the story. For Dallas, the larger point is less about one receiver and more about how quickly a group built to look different this season can show it.
Christian Parkers new defense is set to be one of the more watched parts of camp, with a revamped secondary expected to start and plenty riding on how fast the unit comes together. The Cowboys do not need a perfect August, but they do need signs that the new pieces can hold up when the competition gets sharper, especially with another division receiver in Malik Nabers reportedly on track to return for Week 1 even if his coach has not confirmed it yet. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cowboys Pick Just Got Another Chance To Prove Himself
Viliami Fehoko Jr. is getting another NFL shot, this time with the 49ers after San Francisco signed the former Cowboys defensive lineman to a one-year contract. Fehoko, 26, is still looking for his first regular-season game appearance, but the move gives him a fresh path to stick in a league where roster openings can disappear almost as quickly as they appear.
The 49ers needed another body up front after waiving an injured defensive lineman, and Fehoko now gets the chance to compete for depth snaps. To make room, San Francisco released tight end Josiah Deguara, a move that fit with the recent activation of George Kittle and the re-signing of Khalil Dinkins, which had already tightened the numbers at that spot. [Read more 🡒]