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Cowboys have 2 rookies who could win DYOTY
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Cowboys have 2 rookies who could win DYOTY

Originally posted on Inside The Star  |  By Shane Taylor  |  Last updated Jun 29, 2026 2:03 PM ET
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The Dallas Cowboys have had only one player win Defensive Rookie Of the Year, and that was Micah Parsons back in 2021.

He was a unanimous selection after recording 13.0 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. That seems like more than five years ago, and honestly, who would have thought that he would no longer even be part of this team.

It really is crazy when you think about it. We have been focused so much on the negative impact that it brought, but honestly, I think the Cowboys are better today on that side of the ball than before he got traded.

He is clearly the best player, but the team reloaded with a lot of bodies on that side. Still, the Cowboys, I think, have two guys that could become only the second player in franchise history to win the award.

I will start with the obvious choice first, and then I am going to give you a look shot, but I am not the only player who thinks so.

Caleb Downs

The most important thing right off the jump is that Downs is being coached by Christian Parker, who comes from the Eagles and the Broncos, where he turned three players into Pro Bowl guys and two of them into All-Pro guys.

Outside of that, the fact that Dallas got down as late as they did is just something that does not happen with the Cowboys. Guys like this do not fall to them. We as the fan base never get this lucky.

Downs is a multiplier. His ability to defend the run from any number of positions on defense will help the entire unit prevent explosive plays, which, as fans both know intuitively and saw the past few seasons, can derail a unit and have a ripple effect on the offense.

He is probably going to play a lot in the Nickle, but until we really see what Parker has played for him, I will just sit back and let the rest of the team talk great about him and can’t wait to see more of him during Training Camp.

Currently, Downs is 4th of the betting odds at +850 to win the award.

Malachi Lawrence

Malachi Lawrence is the long shot here, but I am not the only one that thinks he has a chance to be a good player right off the bat for Dallas.

His odds are at +2200, he is only 11th on the list, right outside of the top ten to win the awards and he is above Keldric Faulk who was another player that people thought Dallas might draft.

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks, who recently named Lawrence his long-shot candidate to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Bucky said that Lawrence will see plenty of one-on-one matchups on the edge, leading to regular sack opportunities.

Moreover, the disruptive supportive cast could help Lawrence enhance his stat sheet with a bunch of tackles for loss and quarterback hits generated on extra effort and hustle plays. Lawrence is poised to receive plenty of exposure, given the Cowboys’ brand and the team’s six prime-time games.

It is a long shot for a reason, but he is going to be better than even some of the Dallas Cowboys fans think he is.

Some of you did not think DeMarcus Ware or DeMarcus Lawerence were going to be any good either coming from small schools.

So how about we just let the players play before we judge anything. If the Dallas front office does one thing well, it is find these types of players from these types of schools and they normally produce

This article first appeared on Inside The Star and was syndicated with permission.

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