FRISCO, Texas 鈥� Dallas' secondary got a boost this week when the Cowboys traded for CB Joey Porter Jr. late Wednesday night.
Rookie Cowboys DB Caleb Downs is new to the NFL, but has already been familiar with Porter's game before he got to the league.
"Thought he was a great player," Downs said. "He's played really well in his first couple of years. As somebody that was coming into the league, definitely noticed that. You see that. Coming here today, he's been locked in and just trying to learn everything that he can. He's out there playing ball."
The Cowboys don't know yet if Porter will play on Sunday against the Texans. Whenever he takes the field, Downs and the secondary will get a player that helps the rest of them benefit defensively.
"As [Christian Parker] said in his interview, you always need good talent," Downs said. "He's good talent. I'm sure he's going to do his thing on the field. That's what we're expecting, just to go out there and do what we do and play at a high level."
Some had questions about how Porter's talent would fit into defensive coordinator Christian Parker's scheme, particularly because Dallas primarily runs zone coverage and Porter specializes in man. Parker is confident that Porter will be placed in advantageous coverage situations that utilize his skillset best.
"I think the first thing is a lot of zones in the world that we live in are pattern match zones," Parker said. "So once it gets past a certain point, you're playing man. Especially at the corner position, whether it's you're playing quarters, you're playing cover 3, you're playing man to man truly."
"More times than not, corners are in situations where they're responsible for number one [receivers]. So that'll kind of fluctuate based off the game and the opponent, how much true man we play. For a player like him, more times than not, he'll be matched up appropriately."
Speaking of being matched up appropriately, Downs and fellow rookie Jaishawn Barham have had an early impact on Dallas' defense. The two lead the team in tackles with 21 and 20 respectively, Downs leads the team in sacks with one, Barham leads the team in TFLs with four and is wearing the green dot.
Earlier in the week, Barham said that none of what he's done up to this point has surprised him. Downs feels the same way.
"I would say any high-level athlete expects to go out and make plays," Downs said. "So, I mean, this is what I expected to do and just continue to improve. And I'm sure that's what he's expecting, to go out and make plays on the field, and do what he needs to do in practice to continue to get better."
Downs, Barham and the rest of the Cowboys are back in action on Sunday against the Texans in Houston, where they'll look to improve to 2-2.
