Dallas Cowboys Responsible for One of Best Moves of NFL Offseason

Dallas Cowboys Responsible for One of Best Moves of NFL Offseason focuses on the team’s trade-up for safety Caleb Downs in the 2026 NFL Draft. The assessment comes from USA TODAY’s Jacob Camenker, who ranked the move as the No. 9 best transaction of the entire offseason. Camenker argued that Dallas’ approach after trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers is to fix the defense “without breaking the bank,” even though Downs did not match early first-round positional-value expectations. The article says the Cowboys obtained Downs with the No. 11 pick while giving up two fifth-round selections. It adds that Dallas later recovered part of the value by acquiring two fourth-rounders in a trade back involving Malachi Lawrence. The piece links the need to results: in 2025 Dallas allowed the most points per game and finished last against the pass and 23rd against the run. It cites Downs’ Pro Football Focus grades of 82.6 (run defense) and 87.0 (coverage) and notes the Cowboys plan for him to handle slot duties as well.