As excited as Dallas Cowboys fans are about Caleb Downs, jersey sales are unlikely to heat up for the rookie any time soon
The Dallas Cowboys know how to sell jerseys. But this time, they might have to be patient with questions surrounding Caleb Downs’ true number for the 2026 NFL season as more changes could be in the horizon.
Football fans can be divided into two groups. The ones who really care about jersey numbers. And the ones who don’t give a damn. I like to think I belong to the latter, but this Dallas Cowboys offseason storyline has me taking a good look in the mirror.
The story? What number is first-round rookie Caleb Downs, who is already expected to become a face of the defense kind of player in Year 1, going to wear?
At rookie minicamp, Downs rocked No. 18 (Again, I don’t want to belong to the ones who really care about jersey numbers but… ew). Ahead of OTAs, he’s now listed as No. 13 on the Cowboys roster (better but… meh?).
But here’s the thing: Another number change could be on the way, at least based on the words of Caleb’s dad, Gary Downs. So even if you like No. 13 for Downs, don’t pull the trigger on your jersey shopping cart. Not for Mother’s Day nor Father’s Day.
Caleb Downs wearing No. 2 ‘a work in progress’
“I believe (Caleb’s) wearing 13 for the OTAs but I think 2 is still a work in progress,” Gary Downs told DLLS Sports in a recent interview. “There’s a lot of dominoes that got to fall for him to get 2.”
I don’t know about y’all but even admitting “it’s a work in progress” sounds like it’s something Caleb would certainly prefer.
The dominoes that need to fall
Currently, cornerback Cobie Durant is set to wear No. 2. Durant was a $5 million free agent signing by the Cowboys. He previously wore No. 14 with the Los Angeles Rams.
Durant also wore No. 14 in college, so if we try to track down the “dominoes that need to fall,” we may be talking about backup safety Markquese Bell agreeing to let Durant have No. 14 so that No. 2 becomes available.
If Bell is cut, this could all be a moot point. I recently had Bell make my roster 53-man roster projection but it’s going to be a tough battle in the bottom of the safety depth chart. Since the hiring of Cowboys DC Christian Parker, they have added Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke and Downs. Second-year undrafted free agent Alijah Clark had his moments last year.
In the end, jersey number won’t matter for Caleb Downs
While a lot of fans are monitoring the situation of Caleb’s jersey number, Gary Downs is convinced it won’t be relevant for his play.
“He said the number don’t matter,” Downs added. “He’s going to play the same regardless.”
After all, this is only the silly stuff we care about this time of the year but not so much when we’re talking about actual football in the fall.
There’s not much you can take away from rookie minicamp, but it’s clear the Cowboys are already big fans of Downs’ football IQ.
“Just premium instincts,” said Cowboys DC Christian Parker via Dallas Morning News. “You can tell the way he directs traffic out there, the way he reads and reacts, the way his brain is connected to his feet.”