Caleb Downs Announcement Made After Cowboys’ First Win

Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Caleb Downs Announcement Made After Cowboys’ First Win

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Will Chesanek | Last updated Sep 21, 2026 8:56 PM ET

Caleb Downs and the Dallas Cowboys are coming off a 37-20 win over division rival Washington Commanders on Sunday. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels performed well before having to be carted off the field early. Daniels completed 11 of 17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown to go along with 69 rushing yards on seven carries for a game-high 9.9 yards per carry average.

For Dallas, quarterback Dak Prescott performed sensationally, completing 26 of 31 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had game highs with eight receptions and 153 receiving yards while tying tight end Jake Ferguson for a game-high two touchdowns. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer now has the Cowboys at 1-1 on the season.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4).Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

For the Cowboys, a pair of rookie defenders have played strongly during Week 2 of the 2026 NFL regular season. Safety Downs finished tied for a team-high nine tackles while also having six solo tackles and deflecting a pass. Linebacker Jaishawn Barham finished with seven total tackles, four solo, along with a tackle for loss.

On Monday, once Pro Football Reference was able to calculate its data from the start of the season, it announced that the Cowboys rookie defenders were some of the best from the first two weeks. On the social media website X, PFF announced that Barham was No. 1 among the top-graded defensive rookies so far for the 2026 season. Barham had an 84.8 grade, while teammate Downs finished third with a 75.9 overall grade.