Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Dallas Cowboys' defense is undergoing a significant transformation after adding top-tier talent in the draft.
- One rookie is already showing versatility that could address the team's most critical weakness this offseason.
- His unexpected position switch may give Dallas the missing piece to unlock a championship-caliber defense in 2026.
Reactions to the Dallas Cowboys' NFL Draft haul has largely focused around the top. It's not hard to see why: Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, who may well be the best player in this class regardless of position, fell into the team's lap at No. 11, and their second first-round pick, UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, should provide exactly the sort of pass-rush juice Dallas lacked in the wake of the Micah Parsons trade. For a team that seemed to be a functional defense away from real contention last season, that's quite the splash.
But in the wake of Cowboys rookie minicamp, there's another, less-heralded member of this year's draft class who could loom as large as anyone in determining just how big a leap this defense can take in 2026 — and how far Dallas can go.
Jaishawn Barham's position switch could transform the Cowboys defense
It may have struck some as odd when the Cowboys followed up the Lawrence pick by taking another EDGE, Michigan's Jaishawn Barham, with its next pick in the third round. With Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku already penciled in as starters, plus the addition of Lawrence, would there really be enough snaps to go around?
But it turns out that Barham's future may not lie on the edge at all. At rookie minicamp this week, head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters that the team planned on giving Barham a ton of work at inside linebacker — a position at which Barham began his college career back at Maryland, before spending most of his time edge rusher last season with the Wolverines.
"I feel like my ability to run, run sideline to sideline, be able to hit, take on blocks, get off blocks, being able to cover tight ends, running backs, whatever. I feel like I'm a football player," Barham told the Cowboys' official website. "So whether it's d-end or linebacker, I play football, so I can do it."
At 6-foot-3.5 and 240 pounds, Barham has the size to play either role at the NFL level. And he certainly has the athleticism, with downright freaky fluidity that helps him get to the quarterback and shed blockers. But while he was primarily billed as an edge rusher during this draft cycle, he might just be the perfect answer to the biggest remaining question on this Cowboys defense.
Linebacker is the one glaring weakness left in Dallas' D
With Downs and Jalen Thompson revamping the safety room, and Cobie Durant and fourth-round pick Devin Moore in at corner (plus the return of Sharon Revel Jr.), this Cowboys secondary should be much improved — especially if they can finally get a healthy season out of DaRon Bland. And we've already gone over just how intentionally Dallas went about boosting its edge talent.
That just leaves one unit remaining: off-ball linebacker, where the team has so little experience in the wake of another DeMarvion Overshown injury that they're not even sure who's going to wear the green dot as the signal-caller just yet. The only other offseason acquisition at the position aside from Barham was Dee Winters, who largely played weakside linebacker for the 49ers last season.
Which brings us back to Barham, who could find himself in a surprisingly load-bearing role for a third-round rookie. Dallas needs to fix its porous run defense, and that means getting better play at linebacker. Barham is raw, no doubt, but he has the legitimate sideline-to-sideline ability to be a real difference-maker (even if he's at times too eager in using it). If the Cowboys can coach those kinks out of his game, they could have a diamond in the rough at a crucial position, one that would allow the rest of the talent on this defense to take off.
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