{"id":371536,"date":"2026-07-13T20:14:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T20:14:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/371536\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T20:14:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T20:14:41","slug":"caleb-downs-rumored-to-have-highest-dallas-cowboys-madden-rookie-rating-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/371536\/","title":{"rendered":"Caleb Downs Rumored To Have Highest Dallas Cowboys Madden Rookie Rating Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"70\">The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/full-details-dallas-cowboys-caleb-downs-trade-2026-nfl-draft\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Dallas Cowboys made a splash in the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> when they traded up to select <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/instant-grade-cowboys-move-up-ohio-state-safety-caleb-downs-nfl-draft\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ohio State All-American safety Caleb Downs<\/a>, who many believed to be the best overall prospect in this year&#8217;s class. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"73\">What worked in Dallas&#8217; favor is positional value. Because safeties are often underdrafted and offensive skill positions get priority, Downs fell right into Dallas&#8217; lap. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"76\">Now, the team has a perfect centerpiece in the secondary for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/who-is-new-cowboys-defensive-coordinator-christian-parker\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">new defensive coordinator Christian Parker<\/a>, and a player the team can build around as it aims to revamp its defense. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"79\">There are some high expectations for Downs entering his rookie campaign, and he&#8217;s even considered<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/caleb-downs-projected-2026-stat-line-nfl-defensive-rookie-of-year-run\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> among the preseason favorites to win Defensive Rookie of the Year<\/a>, but now there&#8217;s another accolade that Downs can add to his rookie resume. <\/p>\n<p>Caleb Downs&#8217; Rumored Madden 27 Player Rating Is Historic<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/01kxdvpqd0nb42fqm2s4.jpg\" alt=\"Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs takes a break during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility \" title=\"Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs takes a break during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility \" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7m\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs takes a break during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility  | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7q\">The X account MUTLeaks took to social media over the weekend to share the rumored <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MUTLeaksXXVII\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;Top 100 player ratings&#8221; and &#8220;Top rookie ratings&#8221; for Madden 27<\/a>, which is set to release next month. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7t\">According to the leaks, Downs will be tied for the highest-rated rookie player rating in the game at 82 overall, along with Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7w\">But while Downs is tied for the highest rookie rating in this year&#8217;s class, he&#8217;s the <a href=\"https:\/\/roundtable.io\/sports\/nfl\/cowboys\/news\/cowboys-caleb-downs-earns-highest-launch-day-madden-rating-ever-for-a-dallas-rookie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">highest-rated Cowboys rookie for a Madden launch day<\/a> in history, barring any changes. The previous record belonged to Ezekiel Elliott, who was an 80 overall as a rookie in Madden 17. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7z\">Elliott went on to have a successful career with the Cowboys and burst onto the scene during his rookie campaign, so the Dallas faithful can hope for a similar result when Downs takes the field. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/01kxdw35a5twk4e244j7.jpg\" alt=\"Dallas Cowboys linebacker Malachi Lawrence goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star T\" title=\"Dallas Cowboys linebacker Malachi Lawrence goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star T\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"89\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dallas Cowboys linebacker Malachi Lawrence goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8d\">As for the Cowboys&#8217; other first-round pick, edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, he checked in at 79 overall, which is tied for the fifth-highest rating in the rookie class. Whether the Cowboys&#8217; 2026 rookies make an immediate impact on the field this season remains to be seen, but they certainly have the opportunity to do so in the virtual world. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8g\">EA Sports&#8217; Madden NFL 27 is set to hit shelves on Thursday, August 13, 2026, for Xbox Series X\/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Windows. Madden NFL 27 will cost between $69.99 and $139.99, depending on the edition you purchase. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8j\">\u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter<\/a> for more free coverage from<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/a> \u2014<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys made a splash in the 2026 NFL Draft when they traded up to select Ohio&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":371537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103],"class_list":["post-371536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}