The Dallas Cowboys' roster is full of intimidating athletes, but arguably no player has a greater aura entering the practice field than rookie Jaishawn Barham. The third-round pick out of Michigan has the physique you dream about as a kid. And it turns out he's pretty good at this football thing, too.
Naturally, Caleb Downs commands his own spotlight. And all eyes are on Dallas' other first-round selection, Malachi Lawrence, to see how quickly he can spark the pass rush.
However, it was Barham who received a shoutout from Brian Schottenheimer for his work in practice (h/t Jon Machota, The Athletic). It's happening quicker than expected, but the Cowboys are already seeing why they drafted the former Wolverine.
"It was helmets only, but his ability to get off blocks, that’s a heavy-handed guy. We love the versatility of him to be on and off the ball," Schottenheimer said.
Cowboys rookie Jaishawn Barham already impressing at training camp
While Barham will occasionally be asked to rush the passer, his ability to take on and shed blocks is why Dallas views him primarily as a second-level defender. He played both edge rusher and linebacker in college, though Michigan leaned heavily on him as a pass rusher during his final season.
That versatility -- among other things -- is what drove the Cowboys to spend a third-round pick (No. 92 overall) on him. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker clearly has a vision for Barham, and it hasn't taken long in Oxnard for it to come to life.
Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News recorded a rep where Barham shifted to the edge right before a jet sweep to KaVontae Turpin. Barham couldn't set the edge, due in part to a strong block from Jake Ferguson, but the play highlighted the variety of responsibilities he'll be asked to handle in Parker's defense.
Even though Michigan primarily used Barham as a pass rusher last season, he logged 24 games as an off-ball linebacker between the 2024 and 2023 seasons. We hate to bring up a rival, but Barham and New York Giants fifth overall pick Arvell Reese share a lot of similarities.
Both players were effective rushing the passer in college, but there are questions about whether they have enough bend and technique to thrive as an EDGE in the pros.
While off-ball linebacker requires playing through traffic -- a challenge for every rookie LB -- it allows Reese and Barham to trigger downhill, shed blocks, and make plays. That's where Barham can really flex his muscles (figuratively, not literally), but the first two days of camp have also shown that Parker has no intention of limiting him to one role.
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