Open Extended Reactions
FRISCO, Texas — Darren Woodson was like millions of others Thursday, watching the first round of the NFL draft.
When the Dallas Cowboys selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the No. 11 pick, Woodson erupted in joy. He went to X and typed out a quick response: “Yes sirrr!”
"I've just looked at [Dallas] defensively and half the battle is getting lined up, and I've watched this team play and they're out of position. The offense motion's over and they're slow getting there. All that," said Woodson, the Cowboys' all-time leading tackler and member of the Ring of Honor. "The cerebral part of the game has been more of an issue than the physical issue, to me.
"They've been looking for a quarterback in that secondary, like a real football player, like a guy who wants to play. Really like a student of the game. You hear [former Alabama coach] Nick Saban talk about him and [OSU defensive coordinator] Matt Patricia, he coached a lot of good players in New England, and you're hearing them talking about him in this way and there's got to be something there."
As Woodson talked, he could hear one of his former coaches, Bill Parcells, in his head saying, "Put away the anointing oil. Let him get in the door. Let him play."
"I get all that, but there's something to be said for what everybody says about [Downs]," Woodson said. "I don't know what it's going to look like as far as the transitioning of the game, covering the slot, all those things, but the mental aspect of everything says a lot to me."
The Cowboys are going to ask Downs to do things that Woodson did in his 12-year career with the Cowboys that led him to being a 2026 finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Downs might be listed as a safety, like Woodson was for all those years, but he will be so much more. He will play in the slot and be asked to cover tight ends, running backs and receivers. He will be asked to set the edge in the running game. He will be asked to blitz.
"I feel confident in my ability to play wherever they need, be it if that's the nickel, in the slot, then that's what I'm going to do at a high level," Downs said.
His familiarity with Woodson, however, is not too great.
"But definitely looking forward to learning more," Downs said.
Downs' father, Gary, who played six years in the NFL as a running back with the Giants and Falcons, spanning the Cowboys' Super Bowl run of the 1990s, saw Woodson's social media post.
"Obviously those teams had a lot of offensive stars, but on defense, he was the one guy that I remember, other than Deion [Sanders] during that era,” Gary Downs said. “But a great safety. When you have a great player that recognizes that your former team is taking a guy, that means something.
"[Caleb] is too young to know Darren, but he'll know who he is. I tell you, he studies the Hall of Famers because that's where he wants to be at. And now that he's here, he's going to know about the past."
Coach Brian Schottenheimer will also make sure that happens. Last year, he involved the Cowboys' alumni in get togethers with the current players, attempting to link the past to the present.
"There's things that we see in his ability — watching him play at the linebacker level, at safety, covering receivers — that Darren was one of the first to ever do," Schottenheimer said. "Let's be honest. And it'll be cool for him to get a chance to learn about Darren and spend some time with Darren. What I love about him — you heard him, 'I'm a learner. I want to learn.' And so it wouldn't surprise me at all when he's traveling back home [after the draft] if he's Googling Darren's name."
Woodson was a second-round pick by the Cowboys in 1992, moving from Arizona State linebacker to the secondary. He was named to the Pro Bowl five times. He won three Super Bowls. He was a three-time All-Pro.
He was credited with 1,350 tackles before a back injury forced him to retire in 2004.
His versatility was ahead of the game in his career.
"Played the safety position, played the nickel, the slot position, and we played a lot of man [coverage], too," Woodson said. "Started games at [weakside linebacker], did a little of everything and that is where the game is today. You've got to be a multiplier and do multiple things. There was a generation of just the big, hard-hitting safety, like Steve Atwater or John Lynch. They played close to the line of scrimmage or played Cover 2 and weren’t tasked to cover a guy. Those days are over.”
By his second year, Woodson was named a captain after learning from Ray Horton, Thomas Everett and James Washington as a rookie. He believes Downs can step in right away as a leader. After all, Downs did that as a true freshman at Alabama, leading Saban’s defense in tackles, before transferring to Ohio State as a sophomore.
"He seems like a very confident kid anyway," Woodson said. "But there's going to be expectations to play when you're the 11th pick in the first round. There's a new dog walking in that locker room. I don't care how old you are, you can lead. If you show up every day, you can lead."
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones was asked if Downs is the best safety the Cowboys have drafted since Woodson. In 2002, they took Roy Williams in the first round. In 2015, they drafted Byron Jones, who toggled between safety and cornerback, in the first round.
"Darren, through the years, had such a leadership quality. And what I would point [out for] anybody that is entering the NFL is Woodson, as an example, look at what he is after football. Now that's impressive," Jones said. "But it's the same logic, same rationale, same judgment. Leader. Leader by example. And then of course, he outworked everybody. So, if we get Darren Woodson out of him, we should really put a red letter around this day."
