The Cowboys spent Saturday shoring up the middle of their defense, elevating linebackers Justin Barron and Curtis Robinson from the practice squad after two Week 1 starters were ruled out for Sunday’s home opener against Washington.
Adam Schefter reported the moves on X, and Dallas later made them official on its own site. The timing mattered: with DeMarvion Overshown and Malik Hooker both out, the Cowboys used both of their weekly practice-squad elevations on linebackers instead of spreading those call-ups around the roster.
Overshown’s night in the season-opening 28-20 loss at the New York Giants ended in the fourth quarter when he grabbed his right hamstring on a Cam Skattebo run and did not return. He finished with seven tackles. Brian Schottenheimer described the injury as a strain and said the recovery window was one to two weeks.
Hooker’s exit came even earlier. He fractured a bone in his forearm late in the third quarter, played 12 snaps, and had surgery Tuesday. Schottenheimer had held out hope for a two-week return and did not place him on injured reserve, but the Friday injury report ruled him out for Week 2.
Dallas was down to just four linebackers in East Rutherford, so the extra bodies are there for both special teams and defensive rotation. Robinson, a Stanford product, played 14 games for San Francisco in 2025. Barron, an undrafted free agent from Syracuse, split last season between Dallas’ practice squad and the 53-man roster and drew attention in camp after picking off three passes in a joint practice against the Rams.
Neither elevation changes the starting picture. That job belongs to rookie Jaishawn Barham, whom Schottenheimer named the starting middle linebacker for Sunday and the player taking over the helmet speaker role Overshown wore in Week 1. Barham, the No. 92 overall pick out of Michigan, had six tackles in his NFL debut and will line up next to Dee Winters.
“He’s got great command of what we’re doing.”
Schottenheimer said the green-dot label can be made into more than it is. The player wearing it relays the call, sets the front, and starts the communication chain, but the coach said that responsibility “gets overblown at times.” He also pointed to Winters, Shemar James, and Robinson as other players who can handle the speaker if Barham needs a break.
That communication piece matters after Dallas gave up 165 rushing yards and 28 points in the opener and struggled on third down. Schottenheimer called the communication “surprising,” and the extra linebackers give coordinator Christian Parker more options if Washington forces the Cowboys to keep mixing nickel and base looks in the same series.
P.J. Locke is expected to fill in at free safety, while first-round pick Caleb Downs remains closer to the line of scrimmage in the role Schottenheimer preferred after Week 1.
Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday on Fox.
Both teams enter at 0-1 after division losses, with Washington falling 24-22 at Philadelphia. CeeDee Lamb said this week at The Star that he expects the building to be loud for the home opener.
Whether Barron and Robinson both suit up is still to be determined. NFL teams can elevate two players each week, but both do not have to be active for the game. One could be up only for special-teams depth, and that won’t be clear until Sunday’s inactive list is released.
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