The Cowboys came out of Week 1 with a defense that looked broken in more than one way, and Caleb Downs did not try to dress that up.
Downs said the mistakes from the opener are “very fixable,” a straightforward assessment after Dallas turned in the worst defensive effort by any team in Week 1 based on defensive expected points added per drive. New York also converted 82% of its third downs against the Cowboys, the Giants’ best third-down rate in a single game since 1978.
That is the backdrop for the more immediate problem Dallas now has to solve: Malik Hooker fractured his wrist against the Giants and required surgery, and he is expected to miss the Week 2 matchup with the Washington Commanders.
So the question around Dallas’ defense is not just whether the mistakes can be cleaned up. It is whether the Cowboys can do it while also replacing a starting safety.
P.J. Locke is the obvious answer. He was already listed as a co-starter with Hooker on the unofficial depth chart heading into Week 1, and he is now expected to move into the full-time role at free safety. The Cowboys signed Locke to a one-year deal this offseason, a move that now looks less like depth insurance and more like the next piece they have to lean on immediately.
That makes the back end of the defense the clearest place where the Week 1 problems and the injury overlap. Dallas was already coming off a game in which it struggled to get off the field, and now it has to sort out the same issues without Hooker available.
Downs, meanwhile, was one of the few bright spots. In his debut, he finished with seven total tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. He also said he is confident in his ability to play multiple defensive roles and make plays, which matters for a defense that may need flexibility as much as it needs cleaner execution.
He is also best in the slot, which gives Dallas another option as it adjusts its alignment around the injuries and the personnel it has available.
Downs was not among the players criticized for their play, and he is expected to be active again in Week 2. That leaves him in the middle of a defense trying to prove that a historically bad opener really can be corrected — while also showing that losing Hooker does not create a second problem before the first one is solved.