Cowboys Trade-Up, Caleb Downs Shines

On April 25th, the 2026 NFL Draft just dropped its compensatory picks for teams that lost

big free agents last year and the Dallas.

Cowboys snagged a fifth-rounder, number 177 overall, after DeMarcus Lawrence bolted to

the Seattle Seahawks on a three-year 42 million dollar deal.

The Cowboys flipped that pick right into their trade-up package to grab Caleb Downes in

the first round, turning a loss into a fresh defensive back.

Lawrence balled out for Seattle, starting all 16 games with 53 tackles, six sacks, and

three fumble recoveries, two turned into, touchdowns, earning his fifth pro bowl nod and helping

the Seahawks snag the Super Bowl.

Back in Dallas, Lawrence only suited up for four games in 2024, thanks to injuries,

so letting him walk made sense at the time, but his.

Seattle explosion has fans second-guessing, especially since he would have ranked second

in sacks behind the Jadevian Clowny they signed partly to, replace him.

Compensatory picks like this, reward net losses and free agency based on salary and snaps,

slotted into rounds three through seven, leaving Cowboys 2.

Honda what could have been while building around new blood.