'This ain't nothing yet': Cowboys rookie CB promises bumpy ride for opposing QBs after Week 1 lockdown
No one knew what to expect, really. It was Week 1, playing an unfamiliar opponent, facing a quarterback capable of lighting it up any given week and a talented receiving corps that included a 1,000-yard threat who wanted to show up the team that once shipped him out of town.
It had the potential to be a wild and bumpy ride.
Good thing the Cowboys invested in a Seat Belt this offseason.
In his NFL debut, rookie cornerback Caelen Carson lived up to the nickname given to him at Wake Forest and was instrumental in restraining the Browns’ air attack in the Cowboys’ 33-17 opening day win. The dominant Dallas defense limited Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson to a meager 3.75 yards per attempt and a 51.1 passer rating on the day, looking nothing like a fifth-round DB making his first pro appearance.
“Honestly, I didn’t know how the first game was going to go,” Carson said after the win, “but I knew one thing: I wasn’t going to come in here scared.”
The 22-year-old more than held his own despite being matched up against five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper, with Carson holding the former Cowboy to just 16 yards and breaking up as many passes- two- as he let Cooper catch.
And he nearly came away with two interceptions.
“I didn’t capitalize on my opportunities today,” the rookie confessed. “I think I played okay, but I’ve got to capitalize on the opportunities. That’s the biggest thing with a Cowboys defense- turnovers.”
.@dallascowboys @walkinseatbelt 5th rounder wearing Primetime's number and striking like a cobra. Did the Cowboys do it again? This defense played at a different speed @WakeFB #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/FrTEeFkmoK
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 9, 2024
Fellow cornerback Trevon Diggs was quick to point out Carson’s near-misses, interrupting the youngster’s Q&A session with reporters with an announcement of his own:
“He owes, like, 70 push-ups!” Diggs reported with a laugh.
The fifth-year All-Pro had plenty to smile about on Sunday, making his return to the field after an ACL tear suffered in practice last September
“Tears of joy,” Diggs said at his locker. “Just thankful to be back. I’ve been gone for so long… I had a lot of emotions.”
And he made the most of it, nabbing his first pick in 357 days.
Trevon Diggs secures his first INT of the season!
: #DALvsCLE on FOX
: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/cCPhsj1Xc0
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
It was quite a performance, especially considering that neither of the Cowboys’ starting cornerbacks for the majority of the 2023 season were even on the field. DaRon Bland is out for several more weeks with a foot fracture; Stephon Gilmore was not re-signed by the team.
But Diggs showed no ill effects from his knee injury, and Carson showed no fear as a first-timer, and the result was a near-total lockdown of the Cleveland passing game.
“We pressured the quarterback a lot, so we got him off his game,” said Carson. “And then for the outside pieces- the receivers- the timing was off, everything was off. It helped us a lot. I think the back end played well, too. All phases of the defensed played well.”
But both men vowed that it’s just the beginning.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Carson predicted. “We’ve got a lot of improvement to do, get back in the film room. There’s going to be more to come.”
Diggs confirmed that the Cowboys defense, now under the command of coordinator Mike Zimmer, has plenty more that never even came out of the toolbox on Sunday.
“That was just a little sample,” he explained. “Man, we’ve got, like, 50 calls. We only ran probably three of them.”
Maybe it’s the Cowboys’ opponents who should be buckling up for a bumpy ride.
“I left a lot of plays out there. So, a lot more plays to come,” promised the talented youngster they call Seat Belt.
“A lot more to come. This ain’t nothing yet.”
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