Brian Schottenheimer Suggests Untraditional Green Dot for Cowboys and Has a Favorite

A hot topic of conversation this offseason with the Dallas Cowboys has been not just who would play linebacker next to DeMarvion Overshown, but who would wear the green dot, also.

That job has traditionally been done by an inside linebacker, but some have wondered if Dallas might take the non-traditional approach and maybe give it to someone like safety Jalen Thompson, for example.

On Saturday when addressing the media during rookie minicamp, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Dallas would give different players looks in the role, and Schottenheimer went on to say Thompson is someone who could wear the green dot.

"The biggest thing I would say about that is we're going to train so many people in the green dot that we're going to find out who's comfortable doing it," Schottenheimer said.

"It might be [Overshown], it might be Jalen Thompson, it might be Dee Winters, it might be whoever," Schottenheimer added. "At the end of the day, communication comes down to not just the green dot, but the entire defense. If we were playing a game this week, I could not tell you who is going to be the green dot, but we're not playing a game for a while, so we've got time."

Schotty also teased the media, saying he has a favorite for the job but would not say who that is.

"At the end of the day, I have my favorite... who I think will be our green dot, but I'm not going to share it with you," he said, which drew laughter from the media.

Could Caleb Downs be Schotty's favorite?

Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs (18) on the field during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility. — Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Let's throw a fun guess out there: how about Caleb Downs?

It would make sense for Schottenheimer not to throw the rookie's name out there in order to temper expectations this early in the process.

We know Downs is going to be playing near the line of scrimmage a lot. Schottenheimer has previously said Downs will play nickel, and the rookie is a fantastic box safety.

“The starting point for him is going to be playing nickel for us,” Schottenheimer said after Day 1 of the draft. “You get a guy like that, that is that physical and that athletic, and he’s got the ability to cover receivers and tight ends and also play the run and more importantly, drive the defense and make the calls.”

We also know that Downs is incredibly intelligent and has already shown he can break down the Cowboys' defense, something vice president of player personnel Will McClay said he did during their pre-draft 30 visit.

"He understands concepts," McClay said of Downs. "When you say what type of scheme you're gonna run, he understands how the different pieces work and fit together."

"He's a football savant because things just work that way in his head," McClay added.

Once he gets a full hold of the playbook, Downs is going to have the ins and outs of every position on the defense locked into his mind and will be very capable of wearing the green dot as a result.

The only issue with him or any other defensive back wearing the green dot is when they have to drop back into coverage and are not near the line of scrimmage, which is why Thompson and Downs aren't as likely as, say, Winters and Overshown.

We'll get our answer for who wears the green dot eventually, but we would not expect it to come anytime soon.

Add us as a preferred source on Google