The Dallas Cowboys appear ready to play with their new toys. Only two days separate us from the preseason opener for the Cowboys, a Saturday night tilt on the west coast against the Seattle Seahawks.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday that he expects the team’s top two draft picks to see some action.
🔑 there’s a strong chance Caleb Downs plays limited time in the #Cowboys preseason outing against the Seattle Seahawks — per Schotty.
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) August 13, 2026
same applies to Malachi Lawrence.
Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence are each going to put on a full Dallas Cowboys uniform in an opposing NFL stadium for the first time as first-round picks this year, and while there are different schools of thought on how to approach the preseason, it seems the Cowboys want them to get a little bit dirty. That’s totally fair.
It goes without saying that Downs is expected to be a significant contributor to the Cowboys across his rookie season while the candle of Lawrence may be a slower burn. Still, they are both rookies. This is the preseason. Modern times have made it so that some don’t expect players like that to get involved, but Schottenheimer has proven to march to the beat of his own drum.