FRISCO, Texas — Caelen Carson was nicknamed Seat Belt by his collegiate teammates at Wake Forest for his ability to strap wide receivers, and that moniker held strong in his rookie debut for the Dallas Cowboys when, due to injury at the position, he was tasked with lining up against a still-capable Amari Cooper in Cleveland.
That impressive outing was followed by early rounds of adversity for the former fifth-round pick, a shoulder injury severely impacting his playing ability when he was on the field, leading to overthinking and poor film, before the Cowboys opted to shut him down for the season to allow for rehab.
He'd return to deliver a strong training camp but a hyperextended knee landed him back on IR where he'd ultimately miss six games to start the 2025 season before clawing his way back for another chance to show what he can do.
"I feel good [now]," Carson told DallasCowboys.com going into the Week 12 matchup against two of the best receivers in football. "Just seeing all my hard work pay off, because I feel like the last month and a half has been a turning point for me. I'm really just locking in with myself, and telling myself what I'm gonna do every day and how I'm gonna approach the situation coming back from IR."
Activated from IR in mid-October, Carson quickly impressed defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and head coach Brian Schottenheimer, earning the right to start against Geno Smith and the Las Vegas Raiders — where he had one of the best outings of any Cowboys' defensive player, in a game where there were quite a few.
"Caelen Carson, I talked about him very passionately yesterday because I really think he deserves it," said Schottenheimer. "He's been through a lot, and he played really well last game. … He earned that playing time, and there's more on the way."
To put it all into the proper perspective, Carson was the only defender to play 100 percent of the defensive snaps in Las Vegas (60), and here's a short breakdown of what he did and did not allow with his reps:
- Man coverage: 9 targets, 1 catch, 18 yards, 0 TDs
- Zone coverage: 5 targets, 3 catches, 37 yards, 0 TDs
- Red zone: 1 target (vs. Brock Bowers), 0 catches
Carson's tackling was sensational, and one of his two pass break ups was a result of breaking quickly on the ball to jar it from the hands of the receiver, showing just how healthy his shoulder and knee truly are.
"I feel healthier," he said. "I feel like I'm back. I think a lot of time on IR and like working with [Cowboys' associate athletic trainer and director of rehabilitation Britt Brown] got me right. Britt got me right, for real."
The Seat Belt was in full force in coverage as well, seeing as he allowed only two yards of separation when in man coverage, the fewest of any defensive back on either team who had more than one snap in that category.
"I think I needed that," Carson said of what he put on film in Week 11. "I feel like some of my confidence left last year with the injury, so being on that field, healthy, not having to think about how I'm gonna tackle somebody or how I'm gonna set the edge, or how I'm gonna do this, I feel like I was able to play free."
As he looks to build upon what he did in Sin City, the next major test, as indicated above, comes by way of the Philadelphia Eagles, an offense that will have Heisman-winner DeVonta Smith and three-time All-Pro receiver AJ Brown in tow.
With so much adversity having already been overcome and so many early tests passed in his young NFL career, he'll approach Week 12 for exactly what it is: another obstacle on a journey that's already forced him to buckle up, because it's been a bumpy ride, to this point. Carson finally looks ready to pave the path ahead, though.
