Can Jaishawn Barham start? It’s the only question that matters now for rising Dallas Cowboys rookie
The Dallas Cowboys defense expected Caleb Downs to change the unit. They might get something similar from third-round rookie Jaishawn Barham.
The Dallas Cowboys expected rookie safety Caleb Downs to transform their defense in 2026. They did not expect a third-round linebacker to change the entire equation before the regular season even started. Yet here we are, because Jaishawn Barham absolutely shone in his preseason debut Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals, and the Cowboys defense might have found its missing piece at middle linebacker.
If you followed Dallas throughout training camp in Oxnard, California, you knew Barham was turning heads. You knew Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker said he had a vision for the Michigan product and that Barham was fulfilling it. But watching him play for the first time Saturday night was something else entirely.
I’m not going to lie to you: I don’t remember the fanbase being this excited about watching a Cowboys rookie since Micah Parsons in 2021, or maybe since Dak Prescott all the way back in 2016. Other rookies have had good preseason games in recent years, but Barham was on another level last weekend. Let’s break it down.
Barham could do no wrong against Arizona
Barham showed out as a run defender immediately. It took him roughly two plays to record a tackle for loss, one where he triggered instantly, shot his gap, beat his offensive lineman, and made a play with power and violence in the backfield. Shortly after, he had a similar play with far more finesse, slipping past a block when the offensive lineman hesitated because of a Cowboys defensive tackle changing assignments at the last moment. Barham got into the backfield again and made the tackle after a 1-yard gain.
The most impressive part of Barham’s debut, though, might have been his pass coverage. This won’t get talked about the most because everyone is focusing on the run stuff, and they should. Those were the highlight plays. But Barham’s biggest question mark entering his NFL career was whether he could cover. This is a player who started as an inside linebacker at Michigan before moving to the edge, playing in the trenches all of 2025. He was looked at by most as an EDGE prospect, not an ILB. Would that cost him in coverage at the next level?
So far, the answer is no. Barham showed tremendous discipline in zone and eye discipline. There was one play where quarterback Gardner Minshew appeared to be targeting a crosser over the middle of the field, but Barham kept gaining depth, played his assignment, and took the play away. On another snap, they didn’t target his man, but he read the pass, triggered, and made the tackle, helping out in coverage.
Barham looks like somebody who is ready to play in the regular season. He did all of this while rocking the green dot and calling the defense, too.
Should Barham start at MIKE linebacker?
And yet, one question remains. Can he, and should he, start for the Cowboys defense?
My overreaction? Yes, he should.
I realize that wouldn’t be perfect for anybody. You want your MIKE linebacker to be someone experienced, someone who has seen a thing or two and won’t get caught off guard by opposing offensive coordinators. That’s honestly my biggest concern with Barham right now. He reacts so quickly and so aggressively that I bet an offensive coordinator or two will get him on game day. They’ll use motions, eye candy, and play action against that trigger-happy instinct. That’s just my take, but it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t start.
In fact, it’s starting to feel like the only reason not to start Barham is his rookie status. But if he plays the part, that shouldn’t be relevant.
Here’s the thing about Barham: he looks like a true middle linebacker. I can’t say the same about Dee Winters and DeMarvion Overshown, who are expected to start for this Cowboys defense. Those are two weakside linebackers Dallas is trying to fit into a MIKE assignment.
Overshown specifically has moved around a lot in training camp, maybe because he hasn’t found that home. The Cowboys know he might be the best athlete among their linebackers, but where exactly do you play him?
If you had a true MIKE, that question becomes much easier. You would play Overshown at WILL, where he already shone back in 2024 when Mike Zimmer was defensive coordinator. Maybe you rotate him with Winters, but you at least have to be tempted by the idea of Barham starting at middle linebacker because he looks the part. Overshown never truly answered the questions about whether he can be physical enough to live in the box as much as a Mike needs to. There were times Tyler Guyton just swallowed him up throughout training camp.
I realize it’s unfair to compare Barham to Overshown when the starters and the preseason group are operating in different contexts. But I’m excited about Barham. He looks the part. Put him on bubble wrap, forget about him until Week 1, and play him a lot then.
I think the Cowboys stumbled onto something special here. I’m not going to say he’ll be a Pro Bowler or an All-Pro type linebacker, but I don’t think we should be looking at Barham as just a third-round rookie. He’s outplaying his draft status. He already was in training camp, and to see him do so in the preseason is only more promising. He has to be the biggest winner out of Saturday night’s game, and the regular season hasn’t even started yet.
