The Cowboys spent the offseason trying to patch a defense that had plenty of openings, and one of the clearest priorities was safety. Dallas brought in three new names at the position: rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs, free agent Jalen Thompson, and P.J. Locke.
Of that group, Locke may be the easiest to overlook, but he’s already making his case as a key piece. He knows Christian Parker’s system from their time together with the Denver Broncos, and that familiarity showed during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
Locke also brings a versatile game. He can line up as a traditional safety, but he’s just as comfortable closer to the line or in the slot. That’s part of why he sees so much of himself in Downs.
Speaking on The Blueprint Podcast, Locke said Downs reminds him of himself because of that flexibility, while also making it clear the rookie is ahead of where he was at the same stage.
"He's as advertised, man. The stuff that you don't see is how he is in the film room," Locke said.
"He's super smart, super willing. He asks questions, and I feel like...
Early on, I'm not going to compare him to me because he's way ahead of me when it comes to that. He went first round, all that stuff.
But I feel like I see me in him because I feel like we have a similar play style. And also the way he asks questions.
He always asks questions."
Locke didn’t stop there. He said Downs is going to be a "hell of a player" in the NFL and added that he’s glad the Cowboys landed him.
That kind of praise has followed Downs throughout the spring. Fellow rookie Devin Moore was impressed after rookie minicamp, and veteran linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said during OTAs that Downs was ready to ball.
For a rookie, that’s a lot to carry. But Downs is already drawing the kind of attention that suggests the Cowboys believe they found someone different. Locke clearly does, and he thinks Dallas will be better for it.
In Other News...
Jerry Jones Is Already Facing Heat Over One Cowboys Defensive Call
The Cowboys decision to move on from Osa Odighizuwa is already drawing scrutiny, and it is easy to see why. Dallas has been working to trim salary-cap commitments and stockpile draft capital, and the trade was part of that broader plan while also creating a clearer path for younger defensive linemen to play more. It is the kind of roster-management move that can make sense in the abstract, especially for a team trying to balance present needs with future flexibility.
Still, the reaction has not been uniformly positive, because the choice invites an obvious comparison to Kenny Clark, who remains on the roster. One ESPN analyst questioned whether Dallas may have let the better long-term defensive tackle go, and that kind of second-guessing tends to linger when a front office is trying to sell a move as part of a bigger strategy. For Jerry Jones, the challenge now is not just defending the logic of the trade, but proving the Cowboys got the right side of the defensive line equation. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys May Already Regret One Offensive Line Depth Decision
The Cowboys decision not to tender Brock Hoffman looked like a routine depth move at the time, but it has taken on a different feel with the interior line picture shifting again. Hoffman had quietly given Dallas useful flexibility as a backup center and guard, the kind of insurance policy teams tend to miss only after it is gone.
Now the concern is less about what Hoffman was then and more about what Dallas has left behind him. With the lines depth chart already thinned, the Cowboys are leaning more heavily on T.J. Bass behind Cooper Beebe, and Hoffmans ability to handle multiple interior spots makes the choice to move on from him look increasingly questionable. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Still Have One Line Problem That Could Haunt 2026
The Cowboys spent the offseason reshaping parts of their defense, moving on from Matt Eberflus, bringing in Christian Parker and adding new pieces around that side of the ball. But for all the attention on those changes, the more uneasy question may still be up front on offense, where the tackle spots look awfully familiar and awfully unsettled heading toward the next season.
Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele are still the names most likely to open at tackle, even though neither has given Dallas much reason to feel settled there in recent years. The team did add Drew Shelton as a developmental option, but he is not viewed as someone who can push for a starting job right away, which leaves the Cowboys with more hope than competition at a position group that could end up mattering just as much as any defensive overhaul. [Read more 🡒]