That said, and especially with the full helping of reps he got in the joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams, along with the upcoming joint practice against the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday ahead of the aforementioned matchup against the Cardinals, Downs knows the Cowboys aren't going to let him overdo it before the games matter.
"Yeah, I understand now," he said. "I do what they tell me."
Rest assured, when the 2026 regular season gets underway in a few weeks from now, Downs will likely only be taken off of the field for hydration purposes.
At that point, no one will wonder about how many reps he didn't take against the Seahawks, Cardinals and in the preseason finale against the very Saints he'll practice against in three days from now.
What will matter most is he's healthy, and starving to get some real action; and the latter is an added benefit of holding him back in preseason games. A starved, but ready, Downs can only work in the Cowboys' favor going forward as he tries to chew a whole through opposing offenses in the regular season.