Former Buckeye Caleb Downs Reveals Why he Chose New Number With Dallas Cowboys
Former Ohio State defensive back Caleb Downs reveals how and why he settled on wearing No. 13.
Josh Downs said the quiet part out loud. He told his younger brother what the story was inside the Indianapolis Colts' locker room. "Our equipment manager here was like, 'Bro, tell your brother not to wear number 18.
'" He said it through a laugh, but it was exactly what everyone was thinking when Caleb Downs rolled out to his first NFL practice for the Dallas Cowboys, rocking the number 18. It's not all that surprising when rookies get the short end of the stick in terms of their number choice, but for Caleb Downs, he still needed a number change. 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 The number 13 is a fairly iconic number in the NFL. The headliner here is obviously Odell Beckham Jr.