![\"Caleb](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/dallas-cowboys-v-new-york-giants-east-rutherford-new-jersey-september-4-e1789359643664.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Caleb Downs was one of the few bright spots for Dallas on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Week 1 was an epic fail for the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> after falling to the New York Giants<\/a> 28-20.<\/p>\n The Cowboys\u2019 defense failed the offense time and time again. While the offense did look better in the second half, their slow start in the first half really hurt them.<\/p>\n Dallas didn\u2019t have many strong performances, but one player stood out. It was a choice they made in the 2026 NFL<\/a> Draft that might have helped them avoid having a completely disastrous night.<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys Rookie Named Best Debut on the Team<\/p>\n \n ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer<\/a> had to name a Cowboys player as the best debut in Week 1 as part of their power rankings. While Dallas was ranked 16th, Archer decided to name rookie safety Caleb Downs as the choice.<\/p>\n \u201cConsidering how poorly the defense played, it\u2019s strange to give this to Downs, but the 11th pick in this year\u2019s draft had a productive debut. And there wasn\u2019t an offensive player who fits in this category. Downs finished with seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. He played 61 of 69 snaps, splitting time between safety and the slot. With Malik Hooker\u00a0suffering\u00a0a fractured forearm Sunday, the Cowboys might have to alter Downs\u2019 alignment somewhat, even if he is a valuable slot defender.\u201d<\/p>\n Downs had a good night for the Cowboys, showing off his versatility all over the field in the slot and in the box. Among the defenders on the team, he was the most consistent performer at a high level. He received universal praise for his performance.<\/p>\n Caleb Downs Shines in Cowboys Debut<\/p>\n \n Every Cowboys fan would have liked to see them win, but Downs playing well was important. It shows the future looks bright for Dallas on defense.<\/p>\n Sure, the Cowboys\u2019 defense has immediate problems. The secondary only allowed six incompletions from Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart<\/a>. Up front, the Cowboys\u2019 front seven allowed over 160 yards rushing.<\/p>\n Still, Downs showed that he can do a lot for this team. He\u2019ll be asked to do more, though, as injuries start to pile up in the secondary.<\/p>\n This puts the Cowboys in a position where they\u2019ll have to lean on their rookie more often. Downs proved in Week 1, though, that he can handle anything thrown his way.<\/p>\n Week 2 brings the Washington Commanders<\/a> into the picture. Another NFC East team with something to prove, but this could be a game that matches Dallas better than the Giants.<\/p>\n This is the best game for Downs to transition to different positions and move him around. Washington struggled to move the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> consistently, leaving the door open for a breakout performance from Downs that\u2019ll put him on the map.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAnthony Miller<\/a> Anthony Miller is a veteran reporter covering the WNBA and College Football for Heavy.com. He has been with Heavy since 2026, as he has covered multiple professional leagues like the NFL, WNBA, UFL, XFL, USFL, PLL, MLS, and more since 2019. Currently, he covers the UFL as a reporter for UFL News Hub and FanSided as a site expert and contributor covering the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings. More about Anthony Miller<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Caleb Downs was one of the few bright spots for Dallas on Sunday. Week 1 was an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103],"class_list":["post-436671","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\/436671","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=436671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Dallas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2290679629.jpg\")
GettyDallas Cowboys rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs<\/a> made his debut with the team and was named the best one from Dallas.\n<\/p>\n![\"Caleb](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2272848613.jpg\")
GettyPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA \u2013 APRIL 23: Caleb Downs of Ohio State celebrates after being selected eleventh overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n