The Dallas Cowboys delivered a big injury update on Friday, and the player who benefits most from it might not be the one coming off injured reserve. The Cowboys opened safety PJ Locke’s 21-day practice window, and if you ask me, rookie Caleb Downs is the real winner here.

First, the news. Opening Locke’s window means he’s nearing a return, though it doesn’t confirm he’ll play on Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles. It does mean Dallas can activate him to the 53-man roster at any point over the next three weeks.

For context, Tyler Smith had his practice window opened the same week he played in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Locke’s status for Monday is up in the air. But if it isn’t Week 7, I’d expect Week 8 to be the week he’s ready to go.

I don’t think the Cowboys would play with fire and open his window that far in advance. If a player isn’t activated within the 21-day window, he reverts to season-ending IR, and I don’t expect Dallas to go that route. We’ll get an official game status on Locke on Saturday. 

Why a backup safety’s return is a big deal

So why does a backup’s return matter this much? First and foremost, Locke is not just any backup. He’s well-versed in Christian Parker’s scheme and was expected to contribute one way or another from the start. 

Locke was set to play behind Malik Hooker and Jalen Thompson, who remains on IR. Downs, meanwhile, was supposed to be an interchangeable chess piece who played some nickel, some safety, and a little bit of everything.

But Locke is a high-quality backup. He’s not Markquese Bell, who has struggled filling in at safety and forced the Cowboys into some uncomfortable adjustments. With Locke back soon, and with cornerback Cobie Durant expected to return as well, Dallas will have more options. And more options free up Downs’ play style.

You see, when the Cowboys drafted Downs in the first round, one word kept popping up again and again: versatility. He could play all over the defense and serve as a matchup weapon.

So far, though, Downs hasn’t gotten to adapt to the game plan or the opponent. Instead, he’s had to adapt to whoever is healthy in the secondary.

The numbers behind Caleb Downs’ snip-snap start

A look at the snap counts should help explain what the rookie has gone through in the first five weeks of his NFL career. In Week 1, Downs played 18 snaps in the box, 34 in the slot, and nine at free safety, according to Pro Football Focus. He followed that with 52 slot snaps in Week 2 and 29 in Week 3, plus plenty of work near the line of scrimmage and barely any time at free safety.

Then the injuries piled up, and everything changed in Weeks 4-5. With the Cowboys down multiple defensive backs, Downs played only three snaps at nickel in Week 4 and five in Week 5 while Reddy Steward handled the slot. Across those two games, he logged a combined eight snaps in the slot, with most of his work coming at safety.

Week 6 comes around, and he plays 40 snaps in the slot. The Green Bay Packers successfully went right at him. Downs allowed 94 yards in seven catches in that game. 

I understand people calling him out for struggling in the slot. But it’s been a snip-snap, snip-snap start for him. Adapting to the NFL is hard enough at one position, and Dallas has been bouncing him between several while playing 98% of the snaps.

To be fair, moving him around was always part of the plan. The difference is the reason behind it. Deploying Downs based on the opponent and what suits him and the defense is one thing. Asking him to plug whatever hole opened up that week is a totally different equation.

What a healthier secondary could look like

Getting Locke back gives the Cowboys a solid option at safety alongside Hooker. Before, the choice was Bell, whom you didn’t really want on the field, or Downs, which is what Dallas did for much of Weeks 4-5.

Durant adds another layer. He could start outside, but he’s also played nickel before, and he’s a much better option there than Steward. Dallas honestly ran out of bodies in the secondary.

So if the Cowboys want Downs at safety, they could slide Durant into the slot depending on the matchup, with Joey Porter Jr. outside alongside DaRon Bland, Ameer Speed, or Shavon Revell Jr. Or, if they trust Locke at safety, they can keep Downs at nickel and start Durant and Porter outside.

I’m speculating about specific lineups here. The point is that Dallas finally gets to play Downs where it wants him to, not where it needs him.

I think that helps him a lot. Downs is going through the learning curve every rookie faces, but he’s showing up consistently as a run defender and is clearly handling much of the communication on defense. I expect him to keep improving.

I understand the frustration with the entire defense. Still, I’m far, far away from pressing the panic button on Downs, and Locke’s return would help him tremendously, whether it comes this week or next.

Hopefully it’s on Monday Night Football. The injury report on Saturday should reveal more about his game status. For now, we wait.