Jaishawn Barham got thrown into the deep end and came out looking like a player the Cowboys can trust.
With DeMarvion Overshown out because of a hamstring injury, Dallas put the green dot on the rookie linebacker against the Washington Commanders and made him the on-field traffic cop for Christian Parker’s defense. He was handling the calls from the sideline, passing them along, lining up the front and making sure everybody was where they needed to be. That is a heavy lift for any linebacker, let alone one in only his second NFL regular-season game.
Brian Schottenheimer had already pointed to Barham’s “great command” during the week, and there were moments on Sunday that backed that up. The Cowboys were still dealing with Jayden Daniels and some Washington success, especially when Daniels took off, but the defense looked far more put together than it did in Week 1 against the Giants. The pre-snap confusion was cut down, and the unit wasn’t nearly as often caught looking stranded before the ball was snapped.
Barham’s early work showed up in a strong open-field tackle on third-and-five, when he stopped Washington three yards short of the first-down line. It was a small snap, but it said plenty about how quickly he was reading the play and firing without hesitation.
Then came the moment that really swung the game.
Barham went to the injury tent briefly, then came back out and made the biggest defensive play of the afternoon on his first snap back. He came in with force, punched the ball loose and set up Dee Winters to recover at the Washington 13-yard line. Dallas turned right around and cashed in, with Dak Prescott hitting Jake Ferguson over the middle for a 12-yard touchdown two plays later.
That sequence was the headline, but the whole day was a little wild for the rookie. He had the burden of running the defense, he had to deal with a brief injury scare, and he even puked on the field at one point. Not exactly a standard introduction to life as an NFL middle linebacker.
Still, he kept rolling. Barham finished with seven tackles and one forced fumble, and the box score only tells part of the story.
There are still mistakes ahead, and there will be much tougher tests when offenses start using motion, tempo and personnel changes to mess with him. One game in the green dot doesn’t make him finished.
But it does give Dallas something real to build on. For a player in just his second NFL game, Barham handled a lot, made a game-changing turnover and helped steer a 37-20 win in AT&T Stadium. That’s a strong first chapter.
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