Caleb Downs chose to wear No. 13 for Cowboys to pay homage to Alabama teammate

May 1, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs (18) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Caleb Downs is set to wear the No. 13 as a rookie for the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys selected Downs with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Downs wore No. 2 as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide before he transferred to Ohio State and wore the same number. He also sported the number as a football player at Mill Creek High School.

Cobie Durant wears the No. 2 for the Cowboys. As a result, Downs is wearing No. 13 after seeing Malachi Moore wear it at Alabama.

“But like defensive-wise, it was Malachi Moore,” Downs said. “Shout out to Malachi. When he was at Bama his freshman year, watching that, when I was like a freshman in high school, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s tough. 13, that’s smooth.'”

Downs and Moore were teammates at Alabama during the 2023 football season.

So why did Caleb Downs pick No. 13 for his jersey? Was it for OBJ? 🤔

The Cowboys safety says the jersey choice was inspired by an Alabama safety he watched in high school 👀 pic.twitter.com/MdbbfQPDyb

— Downs 2 Business (@downs2business) May 20, 2026