Caleb Downs is already finding his mentor and it's one of the Cowboys' most important offseason additions

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Caleb Downs is already finding his mentor and it's one of the Cowboys' most important offseason additions originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Dallas Cowboys spent big in the draft to fix their worst unit, and now a veteran teammate is stepping up to make sure that investment pays off.

Back in April, Jerry Jones traded up from No. 12 to No. 11, giving Miami two fifth-round picks to draft Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs. The Cowboys see him as the "quarterback" of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker's secondary.

It’s a huge ask for a rookie. Downs has to fix communication issues on a defense that was terrible in coverage last year, all while trying to learn a brand-new NFL system.

That is exactly why the Cowboys signed veteran safety P.J. Locke this offseason. Locke already knows Parker's system perfectly from their time together in the Denver Broncos.

He was a pretty quiet signing, but the way he has taken Downs under his wing is turning heads inside the building. The two are reportedly staying late after practice to watch film, with Locke helping the rookie master the playbook before the team hits training camp.

Locke detailed this brilliant relationship on a recent appearance on the "Blueprint Podcast," describing how it started with extra work after practice and grew into a daily habit.

"He kinda came, started being around a little bit. And I was like, 'Come on, man.' Now, every single day, every day after practice, we finding each other, to the point now where if I start without him, it is like, 'Damn, bro, you gonna start without me?' I said, 'My fault, bro,'" Locke said.


The Texas native added, "He sees it. They are going to look for him a lot. I just want to be there for him just to take him through that mental roller coaster — that mental roller coaster is going to hit at some point. It always does. I just want to make sure I am here for him to guide him through it — I went through it the worst way.”

Downs has the talent. He posted 150 tackles over two seasons at Ohio State and had the top PFF grade in this year's safety class. But skill alone cannot fix a secondary's communication issues overnight.

Locke knows the playbook inside and out, making him the perfect mentor to help Downs learn Christian Parker's defense. For a Cowboys team that completely overhauled its secondary this offseason, that mentorship might end up being just as valuable as anything they added in the draft.

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