OXNARD, Calif. — Hunter Luepke left Tuesday’s joint practice against the New Orleans Saints before it ended. Jaishawn Barham spent the same afternoon working his way back into one.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer gave the reason for the Luepke exit afterward, and it was not the shoulder-to-shoulder stuff that ran through the practice.
“No, shoulder,” Schottenheimer said. “Shoulder sore.”
Hunter Luepke’s Role Before The Shoulder
Dallas lost a special teams contributor this offseason, and Schottenheimer named Luepke earlier this month, with Brevyn Spann-Ford and Ryan Flournoy, as one of the players who could take over that work. The fullback has been moving around the offense in camp on top of it.
Luepke signed as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State in May 2023. His extension last year made him one of the league’s highest-paid fullbacks by average salary. He carried 16 times for 71 yards last season and caught 13 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Jaishawn Barham Back On The Field
A groin injury cost Barham practice time earlier this month, including the Aug. 8 session. The rookie had been one of the more talked-about players in Oxnard before it happened.
“No, not really. I saw a few snaps,” Schottenheimer explained. “I thought he did a good job with some of the pre-snap stuff, but the post-snap stuff, I want to look at the film. But it’s just good to have him back out there. And we think the world of him, and it’s good to have him working back.”
Dallas took Barham 92nd overall in April with a pick from the San Francisco 49ers. He played his last two college seasons at Michigan after starting out at Maryland, and he declared as an edge rusher. The Cowboys have him inside, behind DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters.
The Cowboys play at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday at 9 p.m. CT. The preseason finale against the Saints is Aug. 28 at AT&T Stadium.
