Cowboys Trade Up for Safety Caleb Downs

On April 24, Dallas Cowboys just made waves in the 2026 NFL Draft by trading of one spot to grab Ohio State Safety Caleb Downs at pick.

Number 11. They sent their number 12 pick plus two fifth rounders to the Miami Dolphins to snack him, filling a huge gap on defense after shipping out Micah.

Parsons less than a year ago.

Miami looked ready to take downs themselves, so Dallas had to pound quick to jump ahead.

Earlier buzz had them eyeing wide receiver Jordan Tyson, but he went number eight to the New Orleans Saints, clearing the path for this defensive.

Move. Fans were glued to every twitch from the Cowboys front office, expecting a big leap into the top five with their number 12 and number 20 picks.

As bait, instead, they stayed patient, made this small swap, and landed a guy many thought would slide right past them.

Downs bring serious chops from three college years. First at Alabama, then dominating at Ohio State.

He racked up two five seven tackles, six picks, and earned big 10 defensive player of the year in 2025, plus he lit up special.

Teams with two power turn touchdowns. Now he's the first pick under new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, stepping into fix the league's worst secondary from last season.

This could spark a real turnaround for Dallas on the back end.