Put Caleb Downs Back Where He Belongs

Cowboys Nation, Sunday in Green Bay might finally show us the Caleb Downs this team drafted.

Our Take: Dallas needs a spark on defense, and Downs playing downhill near the line of scrimmage is the best one it has. Turn him loose.

Injuries in the secondary have forced the Cowboys to use their first-round rookie mostly at safety the last two games, per Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News, as rounded up by Blogging The Boys. Brian Schottenheimer made it clear that wasn't the plan. "That's not the design for Caleb," he said this week. "We want Caleb down near the line of scrimmage." That could be how Dallas uses him against the Packers.

There's more help on that side of the ball, too. Mike Pettine has joined the staff as a senior defensive assistant and will work from the coaches' booth during games while defensive coordinator Christian Parker keeps coaching from the field, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "I'm just here to support him," Pettine said. Schottenheimer told 105.3 The Fan that Pettine will report directly to him and called him a "sounding board" for the first-time coordinator, per NBC Sports.

The depth is still thin. Cornerback Cobie Durant has been ruled out for a fourth straight game with a hamstring injury, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Schottenheimer called linebacker DeMarvion Overshown a "long shot" to play, though he's officially questionable.

What to watch: where Downs lines up on early downs, whether the pass rush gets home, and if this defense finally puts together four full quarters.

Sources: [Blogging The Boys](https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/dallas-cowboys-news/222827/packers-caleb-downs-mike-pettine-joe-milton-klayton-adams), [NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/brian-schottenheimer-mike-pettine-will-report-to-me-work-from-booth-during-games)