FRISCO, Texas — Jerry Jones said Tuesday that three Dallas Cowboys rookies, Jaishawn Barham, Caleb Downs, and Malachi Lawrence, grade near the top of their groups by Pro Football Focus. The Cowboys owner and general manager made his weekly appearance on Shan & RJ on 105.3 The Fan two days after a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium.
Barham made his first NFL start Sunday at middle linebacker and wore the green dot. He finished with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and a forced fumble that Dee Winters recovered at the Washington 18. Through two games, Barham carries an 84.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, the best among qualified rookie defenders.
“I thought we did improve. Let’s start with where we’ve got our finger pointed toward improvement on defense as much as any place. And we had some guys play pretty well. We’ve got some young guys out there that are doing good,” Jones said. “It was noted to me that we’ve got two or three guys out there that are among the tops for Pro Football Focus. For instance, Jaishawn Barham is the number one rookie defensive rated in that particular group. Caleb Downs is the third rated. Malachi Lawrence was one rated for pass rush grade.”
“Of course, these are certainly opinions, but it’s good. It gives you an idea, though, who’s stepping up here, who’s showing improvement, and that’s where we need to go. That was a letdown in New York because this team needs steady, steady, better play from a lot of different areas,” Jones continued. “It needs better understanding, better communication. You hear that ad nauseam. But all of those things showed up out there Sunday.”
Caleb Downs And Malachi Lawrence Among Rookies Dallas Cowboys Plan To Play
Downs, a first-round pick, has the third-highest PFF grade among defensive rookies at 75.9, according to Cowboys On SI. He had 7 tackles and a pass breakup against Washington. Lawrence, also a first-rounder, has a 72.3 PFF pass-rush grade through two games. That grade ranks 24th in the league. Having rookies at the top of the defense is good for the future, in Jones’ view.
“And that’s, what future? Next game, Rio? Where? All of those questions come to mind. It’s good, period, for them to be playing better,” Jones said. “Secondly, they’re going to need to play better because they’re the ones that are going to be out there. That’s the plan. And that’ll be in the long haul, we think, is the way to get us there this year.”
Jerry Jones On Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, And Cowboys Run Defense
Dallas allowed a league-high 511 points last season and hired defensive coordinator Christian Parker in January. Washington ran for 182 yards Sunday, a week after the New York Giants ran for 165 in a 28-20 win. Jones said holding the point of attack takes bulk, and that Dallas has it in the middle.
“I think we’re holding the point of attack. I know we all would say that it looks like we’ve had some running on us out there in the rushing game against us, but we’re better than we were. We are not getting pushed back as much,” Jones said.
“And I think that’s what, at the end of the day, the most important thing is, are we getting, can we hold a point? And we haven’t been able to in the last several years hold the point. And that takes some bulk. We’ve got that, especially in the middle,” Jones added. “And we’ve got some growing pains on the outside out there. You saw New York really take advantage of it, but we’re going to get better there.”
Quinnen Williams is not dealing with an injury, Jones said. Williams had 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 quarterback hit Sunday. Kenny Clark, in his 11th NFL season, had 3 tackles and 1 quarterback hit.
“Both outstanding. Quinnen is just one of the best players in the entire league, period, and certainly one of the best in the interior line in the league. And Kenny Clark has the reputation he has because of how consistent he is at a high level,” Jones explained.
“So that gives us cornerstone in the middle. And, boy, we’ve got some guys that are coming in and out that are going to get better. And so you can build from that,” Jones continued. “By the way, you say, well, New York and with Washington, they did a little better job of running that ball in there than you’d like to see. But that’s a product. That’s just a product of the support, linebacker play. That’ll get better.”
Dallas plays the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.
