Jaishawn Barham looked the part for the Dallas Cowboys, but he’s got an urgent problem to fix to reach full potential
The Dallas Cowboys are (and should be) excited about rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham. But there’s a problem they’re working to fix to make him even better.
Jaishawn Barham faced the toughest test out of everyone on the Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 2: start at middle linebacker with the green dot in Game 2 of his career.
He delivered. Barham forced a team-high four stops, per PFF. During a win over the Washington Commanders, he forced a fumble, made a tackle for loss, finished with seven tackles, and showed significant improvement in coverage compared to his debut. He did so in style, too, turning heads around the league with his ability to dip and get around blocks and a couple of big hits during the game.
His play was so promising that you can expect a serious debate about who should start whenever DeMarvion Overshown heals up from a hamstring injury.
But there is one thing Barham needs to improve and urgently so: his conditioning.
Cowboys’ plan for Barham’s conditioning
One of the biggest things you need out of your inside linebackers is for them to be on the field most of the game. On Sunday’s win, Barham was in for only 63% of the plays. Dee Winters, who also started at LB had 75%. Caleb Downs and Jalen Thompson led the team at 100%.
Barham briefly had to exit the game to be checked out by trainers. Later in the game, he was seen puking before a play, missing most of the game after that.
With Barham being one of the best defenders from Week 2, the Cowboys need him to play as much as possible. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked about his conditioning on Wednesday.
“Young player, he has been working actually pretty hard on it,” Schottenheimer said of the rookie’s conditioning. “The best way to get in shape is to play, so he’s working through that.”
However, the Cowboys aren’t limiting their efforts to playing Barham.
“We do have certain things that we do with a number of guys, not just Jaishawn,” he added. “Assault bike things that are good for getting their heart rate up. (Barham) plays the right way so when he plays that way, he plays and runs hot.”
Keeping Barham fresh?
For now, the biggest part of the plan though is to keep him fresh and be smarter with the rotations on defense. That’s a solid plan on paper but applying it will be hard given the state of the Cowboys roster.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys’ depth problems at linebacker will likely limit how much they can sub out their best guys (like Barham) to keep them fresh. On Sunday, they had to call up two practice squad linebackers due to Overshown being out. That’s why Barham’s conditioning is such an urgent problem.
The question is how much can Barham stay on the field. If the answer is a lot, the Cowboys have confidence he can get the job done. In Week 2, he did.
“This guy is really smart, really bright,” Schottenheimer said of Barham, who played multiple schemes in college. “I don’t know how many rookie linebackers in their second game are wearing the green dot.”
Next up: Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Welcome to the league, Jaishawn!
