Will Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence play during Cowboys preseason?

The Dallas Cowboys are currently getting ready to kick off their 2026 preseason slate on Saturday on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. The Cowboys got a fresh infusion of young talent on the roster this offseason, using their two first-round draft picks on safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Malachi Lawrence to help revamp the defense.

Now, the team has announced what the plan is for the two young stars as the preseason gets underway.

“Brian Schottenheimer said the first round picks Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence will play some in the preseason,” reported Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News on X, formerly Twitter.

It’s unclear at this point how much “some” is or whether or not that will include Saturday’s game against the Seahawks, but it’s certainly a good sign for Cowboys fans hoping the team’s younger players get some much-needed game reps before the regular season arrives.

Dallas is coming off a turbulent 2025 season in which the offense was among the best in the NFL, but the defense was among the worst, leading to a second straight year of missing the playoffs altogether. This offseason, Dallas made significant strides to help revamp that side of the ball, including drafting the two defensive rookies in the first round, as well as recently extending Quinnen Williams, among other moves.

If the Cowboys’ defense can just be average this year and the offense maintains its 2025 pace, Dallas could return to contender status in the NFC very quickly.

In any case, the Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Seahawks is slated to get underway on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET from Seattle.