FRISCO, Texas — Six rookies made the Dallas Cowboys’ 53-man roster, and all six appear on the unofficial depth chart released Tuesday. One is a starter. Four are the first name behind a starter.
Caleb Downs is the starter. Dallas traded up one spot with the Miami Dolphins to take him 11th overall, and he holds the defensive back line alone. He is also second at punt returner behind KaVontae Turpin.
Jaishawn Barham is listed behind Dee Winters at inside linebacker. Dallas took him 92nd overall out of Michigan. He wears No. 55 and played most of his college career as an off-ball linebacker at Maryland before moving to the edge at Michigan for his final season.
A groin injury paused Barham’s camp in Oxnard. He returned for the preseason game at Arizona on Aug. 22 and played middle linebacker, finishing with five tackles, one for loss, and three run stops. Pro Football Focus graded him 90.1 on defense, the highest mark on the team that night.
Trust at middle linebacker is what Barham said the assignment meant to him, and he spoke to reporters for the first time since the draft after the team’s first practice back in Frisco.
“It feels good to be out there,” Barham said. “It means a lot [for the coaches to trust me at middle linebacker], but I still got a lot of work to do.”
Brian Schottenheimer On Jaishawn Barham After The Arizona Game
Schottenheimer said the starting lineup had not been penciled in at most spots when he was asked about Barham following the Cardinals game.
“The physical nature that he plays the game is real. You feel it. They felt it,” Schottenheimer said.
Malachi Lawrence, the No. 23 overall pick out of Central Florida, is listed behind Donovan Ezeiruaku at outside linebacker, with Tyrus Wheat third. Von Miller and James Houston sit behind Rashan Gary on the other side.
LT Overton went 137th overall out of Alabama and backs up Quinnen Williams. Drew Shelton, taken 112th out of Penn State, is the backup left tackle behind Tyler Guyton.
Camden Brown Is The Only Undrafted Rookie On The Chart
Camden Brown is listed behind George Pickens at receiver. He caught six passes for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns in the preseason and made the roster as an undrafted free agent.
Dallas held seven picks in the 2026 draft and used five of them on defense. Fourth-round cornerback Devin Moore, the 114th pick out of Florida, is on injured reserve and does not appear. Seventh-round receiver Anthony Smith, taken 218th out of East Carolina, did not make the roster.
Christian Parker is in his first season as Dallas defensive coordinator. The Cowboys allowed 511 points last season, the most in the NFL. They finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for a second straight year.
The Cowboys open Sunday night at the New York Giants. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
