The prevailing belief entering the season was that the Dallas Cowboys would need significant contributions from their rookie class for the defense to realize its full potential. What nobody anticipated, however, was Christian Parker looking overwhelmed and the defense being every bit as bad as it was last season.
How much is the Cowboys' 2026 draft class to blame for that? Five of Dallas' seven picks, including their first three selections, were used on defensive players.
Caleb Downs rarely comes off the field. Malachi Lawrence has played himself into a bigger role and Jaishawn Barham, at times, has looked like an alpha. They've all looked like rookies at times, but the Cowboys should feel confident that this trio will be mainstays on their defense for years to come.
Cowboys' rookie stock report after eight games of the 2026 season
Caleb Downs: Stock up
Anyone who expected Downs to be an instant superstar set themselves up for disappointment. It's very rare that a defensive back walks into the NFL and plays at an All-Pro level. And Downs has had to navigate playing a new position and sharing the field with backups at various positions.
Not exactly the perfect ecosystem for a rookie tasked with raising the floor of an historically bad defense. And while the Cowboys' D has looked inept at times, Downs has been steady.
According to SÅ«mer Sports, Downs is tied for 11th at the safety position with 11 impact plays. He is also tied for seventh with 10 run stops and only Jesse Bates has forced more fumbles. His run fits have been excellent, with his signature moment coming this past Sunday when he stonewalled Jeremiyah Love on the goal line.
It should also be noted that Downs has been effective as a blitzer, logging an 83.2 PFF pass-rush grade that's fifth at the position.
Coverage is the one area he's been exposed, as he's allowing 0.87 yards per coverage snap and 227 total receiving yards thus far. As a first-time nickel cornerback, he was expected to need time to grow in that area, but he's been the least of Dallas' coverage concerns.
You'd like to see Downs be more of a nuisance in coverage, but it's hard to not be pleased with how he's looked eight games into his career. His stock is up.
Malachi Lawrence: Stock neutral
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Brian Schottenheimer conceded that Lawrence deserved more playing time. The first-round pick responded with his best game of the season against Tampa Bay, logging two pressures, a sack, multiple QB hits, and a batted pass.
Lawrence has come back down to earth over the last three games. He failed to record a pressure against the Packers and Eagles before tallying two and another QB hit against Arizona. He's looked like Dallas' best pass rusher at times, but, like any rookie, he's still searching for that down-to-down consistency.
For the season, Lawrence owns a 12.6 percent pass-rush win rate that ranks 38th among all edge rushers and third among rookie EDGEs. The potential is clear as day. The consistency will come with more reps, but Lawrence will not have those for a bit after he suffered an ankle injury in Week 8.
It's unclear if Lawrence will go on IR, but it's a multi-week injury regardless, per Brian Schottenheimer. Hopefully, it's a quick recovery, and he can get back out there. The Cowboys' pass rush tends to come alive when he's on the field.
Jaishawn Barham - Stock Down (for now)
Barham came out of the gate with his hair on fire, notching 12 defensive stops (plays that constitute a loss for the offense) and a couple of pressures over his first three games. Not bad for a guy making the transition to MIKE linebacker.
Christian Parker hasn't gotten much right in his first season as defensive coordinator, but his decision to convert Barham, a tweener coming out of Michigan, into an off-ball role was spot on.
Through Week 8, Barham has recorded as many impact plays (16) as Jordyn Brooks, Nakobe Dean, Ventrell Miller, Quay Walker and Jacob Rodriguez. He's also tied for 11th among linebackers with 17 run stops and ranks eighth with an 11.2 percent run-stop rate.
He'll occasionally fill the wrong gap, but if you had told me before the season that Barham would make a profound impact against the run this early into his career, I would've signed up for it in a heartbeat.
The problem? Barham's instincts in coverage leave a lot to be desired. He routinely loses track of his responsibilities in the flat and is still learning how to process quarterbacks' eyes and pre-snap motion. Those growing pains are reflected in the numbers, as he's allowing 1.41 yards per coverage snap and 8.81 yards per target.
As a result, Barham has seen his playing time decrease. After averaging 47.5 snaps over the first six games, the third-round pick has played a total of 37 snaps over the last two weeks, per PFF. That coincides with the return of DeMarvion Overshown, but Dee Winters has also missed the last two games. Shemar James has played more than Barham recently.
There's nothing wrong with some tough coaching, but Barham has undoubtedly cooled off after a hot start. He's been a bright spot, but for the meantime, his stock is down.
L.T. Overton: Stock up
It's admittedly hard to notice Overton in the Cowboys' defensive tackle room. That'll happen when Quinnen Williams is wrecking several plays every week. Elijah Garcia has also emerged as a legitimate depth piece. But Overton is deservedly still playing between 20-25 snaps every week.
The fourth-round pick out of Alabama has made his presence felt against the run, recording five impact plays and two stuffed runs. He's missed just one tackle, making him a reliable finisher once he gets his hands on ball-carriers.
A former EDGE at Alabama, Overton has also flashed his pass-rush instincts in limited opportunities, generating six pressures, nearly as many as Malachi Lawrence.
Overall, Overton has been serviceable as a fourth-round rookie. He's carved out a fairly notable role behind Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Otito Ogbonnia, which is really all you can ask for.
Note: OT Drew Shelton (IR), CB Devin Moore (IR) and WR Anthony Smith (practice squad) have been excluded from these grades due to insufficient playing time.
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