After his Cowboys debut, Caleb Downs receives advice from former NFL All-Pro DB

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb (88), rookie safety Caleb Downs (13), head coach Brian Schottenheimer and running back Jaydon Blue (23) wait for the New York Giants to be introduced at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, September 13, 2026. Downs is making his first start as a Cowboy, (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)

Week 1 didn't result in a Dallas Cowboys win, but it did give fans a first glimpse at rookie defensive back Caleb Downs.

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Downs played 61 defensive snaps in Dallas' 28-20 loss to the New York Giants, posting eight total tackles throughout the matchup. His biggest play came late in the second quarter, when he delivered a big hit on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart and forced a fumble. The Cowboys couldn't recover the loose ball, but Downs made his presence felt with his first career sack.

With his first NFL game in the books, Downs took some time to chat with a former NFL All-Pro defensive back on the latest episode of his "Downs 2 Business" podcast. Downs and his brother, Josh (a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts), were joined by Tyrann Mathieu after the NFL's season openers concluded.

Mathieu, who starred at the NFL level for 12 seasons, told Downs one of the biggest lessons he learned early in his career was not to chase plays. Mathieu said offenses are becoming more creative and finding ways to minimize a safety's impact on the game.

"You really just gotta let the game come to you. I think that's what, like, film study and preparation — the longer you play in the league, you realize quick that all these offensive coordinators and head coaches, they all come from certain trees," Mathieu said. "Once you sort of pick up on that, film study and preparation for those teams, it becomes much easier."

Downs then gave Mathieu some insight into his preparation for Week 1 against the Giants. According to the Cowboys rookie, he watched some Kansas City Chiefs tape to prepare for Matt Nagy's offense in New York. Nagy recently joined the Giants' coaching staff as offensive coordinator after holding the same position in Kansas City for two stints (2016-17 and 2023-25).

"The whole [week] leading up to it, we were watching a bunch of Chiefs film. So I feel like I was preparing to play [Patrick] Mahomes and [Travis] Kelce more than I was preparing for the guys from the Giants," Downs said.

Downs can look to capitalize on that advice when the Cowboys face the Commanders at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

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This article originally published at After his Cowboys debut, Caleb Downs receives advice from former NFL All-Pro DB.

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