OXNARD, Calif. — Jaishawn Barham is back from the groin injury that cost him practices in early August, and Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer expects the rookie linebacker to play Saturday at Arizona.
Schottenheimer pointed to one play from Tuesday’s joint practice against the New Orleans Saints, a lead run into the A gap.
“It was cool to see Jaishawn stick his face in there and kind of knock the guy back into the runner,” Schottenheimer said. “Very, very talented young man and a lot of versatility. He can play off the ball, can play on the ball.”
Schottenheimer said the reps against New Orleans were useful for a player working his way back.
“I have seen him smile a little bit more, which means he’s excited to be back,” Schottenheimer continued. “But like I said, I think a week or so ago, he loves football, and he’s very, very good at it.”
Barham left an Aug. 6 practice early with the groin injury. He sat out Aug. 8 alongside Jonathan Bullard and Devin Moore, missed the following stretch, and returned to full work Monday.
Dallas drafted Barham in the third round in April out of Michigan. He is listed at 6-2 and 240 pounds and played defensive end and linebacker in college before shifting to linebacker full time with the Cowboys.
Jaishawn Barham Made His First Impression On Day One
Schottenheimer singled Barham out after the first practice of camp on July 29, a helmets-only session.
Barham had a great practice, according to the head coach, who described a heavy-handed player able to get off blocks and pointed to the versatility of using him on and off the ball.
That flexibility matters in Christian Parker‘s defense. Parker took over in January and has said Dallas will be multiple, running a 3-4 by nature with 4-3 spacing where appropriate and 4-2-5 in nickel.
Dallas Cowboys Linebacker Room Around Jaishawn Barham
DeMarvion Overshown wears the green dot and takes the coach-to-player communication. Schottenheimer said in late July that he and Parker deliberately staged a scenario during the opening practice in which the headset appeared to malfunction, to see how Overshown would handle it. Overshown got the defense into the right call.
Marist Liufau, Shemar James, and Langston Patterson are also in the group. Patterson is an undrafted rookie who started and captained at Vanderbilt.
Dallas allowed 511 points last season, the most in the NFL, and 377 yards per game, which ranked 30th. Overshown has played 19 games in three seasons because of a knee injury in December 2024 and a stint on injured reserve last October.
Barham is one of seven draft picks Dallas made in April. Five of the seven were defenders.
Thursday was the Cowboys’ last practice in Oxnard. Dallas plays at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, then holds open practices at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26 before closing the preseason against the Saints at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. CT.
