Cowboys lock Downs in at nickel as Week 1 depth chart leaves secondary jobs open

FRISCO - The first unofficial depth chart of the season is out, and the clearest statement Dallas made on defense sits in the nickel: Caleb Downs, the 11th overall pick acquired when the Cowboys traded up one spot with Miami, is listed as a Week 1 starter.

Six rookies made the 53-man roster. Downs is the only one penciled in as a starter. He is also second on the punt-return depth chart behind KaVontae Turpin, a dual role that puts the first-rounder in the middle of Christian Parker's rebuilt secondary ahead of Sunday night at the New York Giants.

Parker is in his first season as defensive coordinator. The Cowboys allowed 511 points in 2025, most in the NFL, finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for a second straight season. Tuesday's chart is the first public outline of how Parker wants that unit to look at MetLife Stadium.

Secondary still has open jobs

Downs at nickel was expected. Around him, Dallas left more questions than answers.

Jalen Thompson is listed at one safety. Free safety is written as Malik Hooker or P.J. Locke - still undecided.

At corner, DaRon Bland holds one boundary spot while Cobie Durant or Shavon Revel is listed at the other. Sports Illustrated's Cowboys coverage flagged both open jobs as the biggest takeaways on the chart, giving Hooker a slight edge from how the base defense lined up through the offseason and Durant the early lean at CB2 after a strong camp.

Those unresolved spots matter because Downs' nickel role assumes a nickel-heavy package will be a staple. How often Hooker or Locke is on the field with Thompson, and which corner flanks Bland, will shape how much of the defense Downs is asked to glue together against New York's receivers.

Barham and the rest of the class

Jaishawn Barham, the 92nd overall pick out of Michigan, is listed behind Dee Winters at inside linebacker. A groin injury slowed his Oxnard camp; he returned Aug. 22 in the preseason game at Arizona and played middle linebacker, finishing with five tackles, one tackle for loss and three run stops.

Pro Football Focus graded him a 90.1 that night, the highest defensive mark on the team.

After the first practice back in Frisco, Barham spoke publicly for the first time since the draft.

"It feels good to be out there," Barham said. "It means a lot [for the coaches to trust me at middle linebacker], but I still got a lot of work to do."

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer, asked about Barham after the Arizona game, had not yet penciled in most of the starting lineup. He still singled out the rookie's style: "The physical nature that he plays the game is real. You feel it. They felt it."

The rest of the drafted class sits one step from the field. Malachi Lawrence, taken 23rd overall out of UCF, is behind Donovan Ezeiruaku at outside linebacker. LT Overton (137th, Alabama) backs up Quinnen Williams.

Drew Shelton (112th, Penn State) is the backup left tackle behind Tyler Guyton. Undrafted receiver Camden Brown, who caught six passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason, is listed behind George Pickens.

On the offensive line, Terence Steele remains listed as the starting right tackle with Broderick Jones behind him, even after Schottenheimer said when the Jones trade was made that the former first-rounder was coming to compete for that job. With Tyler Smith headed to injured reserve after thumb surgery, T.J. Bass is slotted to start at left guard for the opener.

Kickoff against the Giants is 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday at MetLife Stadium on NBC. For a defense that surrendered the most points in the league a year ago, the Week 1 depth chart is less a final answer than a first draft: Downs locked in at nickel, Barham knocking on the door at linebacker, and two secondary starting jobs still written in pencil.

Sources

https://dallassportsjournal.com/cowboys-rookies-week-1-depth-chart-caleb-downs-barham-lawrence/

https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/onsi/biggest-takeaways-dallas-cowboys-first-unofficial-depth-chart-2026-nfl-regular-season

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/tyler-smith-expected-to-miss-4-6-weeks-with-injury