they\u2019ve thrown him into the fire<\/a>. Downs was a constant in defensive personnel switches, moving from nickel corner \u2014 his projected starting spot \u2014 to safety with the team\u2019s starting defense.\u00a0Jalen Thompson and Malik Hooker, the projected starting safeties, were out of\u00a0minicamp because of injuries, but even so, it\u2019s hard not to see Downs being a Day 1 starter on this defense with the versatility to play multiple roles.\u00a0<\/p>\nDowns earned that. The day after he was selected with the 11th overall pick he was asking Parker for the playbook. By the time the first rookie practices rolled around, fellow rookie Devin Moore said Downs already knew the playbook. The Cowboys haven\u2019t shied away from lofty praise and high expectations for Downs. As Parker said this week, \u201che\u2019s as advertised.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being thrown into the fire has also given Downs some good early experience. On Wednesday, for example, he lined up against Lamb in the slot. Lamb ran a quick out route that Downs undercut. Prescott threw a perfect pass high and outside and away from the reach of Downs, where Lamb could catch it. Tight end Jake Ferguson also had a reception against Downs in coverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There will undoubtedly be learning moments for Downs this season. The Cowboys won\u2019t hesitate to let him experience those.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs (13) participates in a minicamp practice at The Star on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Frisco.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget the other first-round pick<\/p>\n
Cowboys rookie outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence doesn\u2019t mind being in the shadow as the “other” first-round pick in Dallas. He said that\u2019s a comfortable place for him, dating to college, or even during the draft process, as he rose in public opinion to eventually becoming a first-round pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt really doesn\u2019t phase me,\u201d Lawrence said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And while Downs has earned a lot of the hype he\u2019s received, Lawrence has earned some recognition, too. Lawrence and Rashan Gary were the team\u2019s first outside linebackers on the first team defensive snap of minicamp.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to truly evaluate pass rushers in\u00a0minicamp because there are no pads and they want quarterbacks to be kept clean, but Lawrence\u2019s speed was on display. That should be encouraging for Cowboys fans.<\/p>\n
The biggest question about Lawrence heading into his rookie season is whether he can harness the 4.52 40-yard dash speed and the 1.59 10-yard split he showed at the combine. He didn\u2019t always during his time in college. It looks like he\u2019s starting to in the NFL with the help of outside linebacker coach\u00a0Chidera Uzo-Diribe and pass rush consultant B.T. Jordan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the false stepping, I\u2019ve seen great work, just hitting it every day and making it one of my key focuses so I can use my explosiveness to my advantage when getting off the ball,\u201d Lawrence said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Who\u2019s the true RB2?<\/p>\n
The Cowboys, it appears, are already preparing for the long run with running back\u00a0Javonte Williams. The Cowboys didn\u2019t use Williams in team drills in minicamp. Just like last year, he probably won\u2019t be a workhorse in training camp practices, either. That not only allows the Cowboys to keep him fresh, but it also allows them to get a closer look at their two second-year running backs, Phil Mafah and Jaydon Blue.<\/p>\n
Both bring different qualities. Mafah is a balanced bruiser who they believe could replicate a lot of what Williams can do, if needed. They believe Blue can be a difference maker. There\u2019s a chance they aren\u2019t competing against each other, per se, but rather trying to cement their own places in the backfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing that would make me and the offensive staff more ecstatic than for Jaydon to take the step we hope he takes, because of the one-two punch that he and Javonte could potentially have,\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cJaydon\u2019s ability to hurt you catching the ball out of the backfield, that\u2019s a dimension that we\u00a0\u2014 not didn\u2019t have\u00a0\u2014 didn\u2019t do as much because we chose to throw the ball to CeeDee [Lamb], George [Pickens] and [Jake Ferguson] and guys like that. I do think it is different.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cowboys also have a lot of trust in veteran Malik Davis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We know Williams will get the brunt of the work this season. The others will likely get the brunt of the work before the season begins, however.<\/p>\n
Earning a spot<\/p>\n
Last year was an interesting season for Cowboys corner Shavon Revel. He spent the early part of his rookie season recovering from a torn\u00a0ACL he suffered in college. The third-round pick \u2014 with first-round talent \u2014 eventually made his debut in November. He wore a brace for the entirety of his first season.<\/p>\n
With Parker, defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley, and defensive backs coach Ryan Smith, there\u2019s optimism about the step Revel can take now that he\u2019s out of the brace and he has a full offseason at his disposal. He\u2019ll certainly have to earn a spot if he hopes to start, however.<\/p>\n
For the majority of minicamp the starting outside corners were Caelen Carson and newcomer Cobie Durant. Revel and rookie corner Devin Moore mostly worked with the second team, though they eventually rotated in with the starters Wednesday. Revel had at least one pass breakup in coverage against Ryan\u00a0Flournoy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel (28) covers fellow corner Caelen Carson (21) during Organized Team Activity drill at The Star in Frisco, Texas, June 4, 2026.<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
The Cowboys also have former All-Pro corner DaRon Bland waiting and working on the side as he comes back from offseason foot surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Revel wants to earn a starting spot he\u2019ll have to show that he can be more than a press corner. It\u2019s an area at which he thrives, thanks to his length and athleticism. The Cowboys hope he can develop this offseason with his off-ball skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Regardless, it should be an intriguing battle in the secondary during training camp to determine the starting outside corners.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some quick thoughts<\/p>\n
\u2022 We\u2019ve talked about the left tackle competition being between Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas. Rookie Drew Shelton could be a dark horse, however. He had snaps with the second-team offense at left tackle while Thomas played right tackle. They likely want to train Shelton in multiple spots. It was at least noteworthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 It was just\u00a0minicamp, but it wasn\u2019t an exactly impressive showing from the two quarterbacks behind Prescott. Joe Milton and Sam Howell struggled Tuesday against a Cowboys’ defense that looked a lot more active. Howell had some completions through a tough wind Wednesday. The backup quarterback battle will be something to watch in camp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0DeMarvion Overshown is one of a few guys that will have the chance to train with the green dot. Schottenheimer said he\u2019s done a good job with it so far. He could have the inside track to earning it, along with a starting Mike spot next to newcomer Dee Winters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0The Cowboys have really been impressed with newcomer\u00a0Rashan Gary\u2019s leadership. He, Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams might be the team\u2019s biggest defensive leaders. Crazy enough: none of them were with the team in Oxnard a year ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to truly give awards for minicamp, but here are two:\u00a0<\/p>\n
My defensive MVP from camp was Cobie Durant. The Cowboys struggled mightily with forcing turnovers and getting their hands on balls a year ago. In fact, they were last in pass breakups\u00a0\u2014 even behind a New York Jets team that had zero interceptions all season. Durant\u00a0has seven interceptions and 26 pass breakups in his four-year career. He had a diving interception in OTAs in 7-on-7 and he had a diving pass breakup Tuesday, as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My offensive MVP is Ryan Flournoy. Not so much for what he did on the field during minicamp, but because of his increased confidence. He noted that he struggled in his first preseason game after he was a late-round pick from a small school just two years ago. Last year, he started very low on the depth chart. Now, he\u2019s the team\u2019s certified No. 3 receiver. He has an evident confidence about him this year. The Cowboys expect him to take the next step.<\/p>\n
Oh, most important:\u00a0Flournoy also won the team\u2019s annual sharpshooting basketball competition, taking the title away from incumbent Sam Williams.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer slaps hands with his players as they move between drills during a…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":880021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,347,1596,358,330511,330510,330512,290737,357566,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-880020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-america","tag-article","tag-dallas","tag-texas","tag-tp-ceedee-lamb","tag-tp-dak-prescott","tag-tp-george-pickens","tag-tp-brian-schottenheimer","tag-tp-javonte-williams","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116781233356257598","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=880020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/880021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=880020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=880020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=880020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}