GLENDALE, Ariz. — Caleb Downs will not play for the Dallas Cowboys against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night. Jaishawn Barham will make his preseason debut in the starting defense.
Dallas starts James Houston and Malachi Lawrence at outside linebacker, LT Overton and Jay Toia at defensive tackle, and Barham and Shemar James at linebacker. Shavon Revel Jr. and Ameer Speed start at cornerback. Julius Wood and Alijah Clark start at safety.
Malik Hooker, Jalen Thompson, and Rashan Gary are also out of the lineup. Christian Parker’s defense runs a 3-4 front.
Caleb Downs Sits After Six Plays In The Opener
Downs started in the Dallas secondary at Lumen Field and played six plays before coming off the field. He did not record a statistic.
Dallas took Downs 11th overall in the 2026 draft and signed him on May 1.
Jaishawn Barham Makes His Dallas Cowboys Debut
Dallas drafted Barham in the third round, 92nd overall, out of Michigan. He spent his first two college seasons at Maryland and was a Freshman All-American in 2022.
Barham missed the preseason opener at Seattle with a groin injury. He practiced this week in Oxnard, including the joint session against the New Orleans Saints.
The Dallas Cowboys Pass Rush Against Arizona
Houston played all 17 games for Dallas last season and finished with 35 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Detroit drafted him in the sixth round in 2022. He has 14.5 career sacks.
Lawrence was the second of the Cowboys’ two first-round picks in 2026, taken 23rd overall out of UCF. He signed on June 5. Lawrence made 3 tackles in his first NFL game at Seattle.
Overton went in the fourth round, 137th overall, after two seasons at Texas A&M and two at Alabama. Toia was a seventh-round pick in 2025 out of UCLA and has played 5 career games.
Houston and Toia both left a practice this week after visiting the injury tent, according to Heavy.
The Dallas Cowboys Secondary Against Arizona
Dallas took Revel in the third round in 2025, 76th overall, out of East Carolina. He recorded 35 tackles and 3 pass breakups as a rookie.
Speed was a sixth-round pick in 2023 and has spent time with New England, Indianapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, and Houston.
Clark signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2025 out of Syracuse and made 18 tackles. Wood went undrafted in 2024 out of East Carolina and has spent most of his time on practice squads in Dallas and Tennessee.
James started 14 games as a rookie in 2025 after Dallas took him in the fifth round, 152nd overall, out of Florida.
Kickoff at State Farm Stadium is set for 9 p.m. CT on NFL Network.
