If I am predicting the 2026 Defensive Rookie of the Year, I am going with Caleb Downs.
I understand the history working against him. A safety hasn’t won Defensive Rookie of the Year since Mark Carrier in 1990. More than three decades have passed since someone at the position took home the award, and there are certainly easier picks this season. Pass rushers such as Rueben Bain Jr. and David Bailey play positions that naturally produce the sacks, pressures and highlight plays that attract award voters.
But Caleb Downs is something special.
If you watched him at Alabama and Ohio State, or even just listened to how college football commentators talked about him, you already know. This kid was an absolute stud. Downs isn’t simply a safety who sits 20 yards downfield waiting for something to happen. He can play deep, come down into the box, cover, tackle and diagnose what’s happening in front of him. Dallas has already experimented with him deep, in the box and at nickel during training camp, which should give him plenty of opportunities to make an impact as a rookie.
The College Résumé Is Ridiculous
Downs spent his freshman season at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State, and across his three year college career he started 44 games and finished with 257 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six interceptions and 17 passes defended. He also became a two time unanimous All American at Ohio State and helped the Buckeyes win the 2024 national championship.
His final college season only strengthened his case as one of the best defensive prospects in the country. Downs recorded 68 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in 2025 while winning the Jim Thorpe Award and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
That is production. That is consistency. And more importantly, that’s versatility.
Dallas clearly saw the same thing. The Cowboys moved up in the first round to select Downs 11th overall, making a major investment in a safety at a position teams don’t always value that highly in the draft.
A Perfect Opportunity in Dallas
Downs also walks into a Cowboys defense that desperately needed a new identity after struggling last season. That gives him an opportunity to become one of the faces of a revamped unit immediately.
And that’s ultimately why I’m willing to ignore the history of this award.
An edge rusher can pile up 10 sacks and make the choice easy for voters. A safety has to affect games in several different ways to get the same attention. I think Caleb Downs is talented enough to do exactly that.
Dallas can move him around the formation and let his instincts take over. He can make plays in coverage, attack the run, create turnovers and become the kind of defender opposing quarterbacks have to locate before every snap.
My Pick: Caleb Downs
Is he the safest DROY prediction? Probably not.
If you want the conventional choice, take one of the talented young pass rushers and hope the sack numbers pile up.
I’m betting on the player instead of the position.
Caleb Downs is my 2026 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The last safety to win it did so in 1990. Maybe it’s finally time for another one.
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