Cowboys Shake Up Secondary, Edge Rusher with Draft Picks

0:00On April 25th, the Dallas Cowboys came out looking like straight winners in the first round of the draft, according to ESPN analyst Mel Kuiper. They traded up one spot with the Miami Dolphins to grab Ohio State Safety and Nickel Cornerback Caleb Downs at the 11th pick. Later, they traded back from the 20th spot with the Philadelphia Eagles to land UCF Edge Russia Malachai Lawrence. Downs shakes up the Cowboys secondary big time right away. He steps in as the starting Nickelback, pushing out ready steward and putting cornerback Zion Childress' roster spot at risk. The coaches might even shuffle things as safety, depending on how they play it. Current safeties like Jalen Thompson, Malik Hooker, and PJ Locke look pretty locked in as starters. But guys like Marquesi Bell, Julius Wood, and Alicia Clark could be fighting for just a couple of backup spots, now that Downs is here. Over at Edge Russia, Lawrence slots in clean and simple. Starters Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezerewaku stay safe, but expect Lawrence to rotate in heavy with Ezerewaku.

1:03The rest outside Sam Williams and James Houston might be on the bubble, forcing tough calls on players like Otidio Odelay, Isaiah Land, and Rookie. Convert Maris Liyafao. These moves flip the Cowboys roster upside down at both spots, with Downs and Lawrence pushing veterans and depth guys to prove themselves or pack. Bags come training camp. This has been NFL News Today, powered by AI.