Two weeks into the Dallas Cowboys‘ season, it appeared that the defense had found itself an answer for one of its most vexing questions in recent NFL years: the middle linebacker position, which had become something of a Bermuda triangle of damaged veterans and unsuitable signings at The Star. Terrible additions like Kenneth Murray and Eric Kendricks struggled alongside oft-injured draftees like DeMarvion Overshown, who was carrying on the injury-worn legacies of Leighton Vander Eash and Sean Lee before him. But Jaishawn Barham looked to be the answer in the middle for Dallas, and in Week 2, Pro Football Focus tabbed Barham as the top defensive rookie in the NFL, having taken over the green-dot duties at Mike linebacker.
But things have gone backward for Barham since then, as more teams exposed his aggressiveness and his inability to function in space. Barham is great when his job is to go hit someone. When he has to cover a tight end, though, or spy a quarterback, things break down fast.
Cowboys Hoping to Get Jaishawn Barham Going at Edge
They broke down so fully this season that by last week against the Colts, Barham not only did not start, but he played just three snaps for the Cowboys. Furthermore, his potential as a solution at linebacker is, at least in the short term, taking a hit. Barham spent the past week adjusting to life on the outside, working with the edge rushers–a group that has been decimated by injuries to Donovan Ezeiruaku and Malachi Lawrence.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker explained the thinking: “Next man up, we have some guys who have played significant steps throughout the year. That’s a rotational position by nature. So it’s not like guys are going to be coming out of nowhere to play. Then we’ll get Jaishawn more involved there. He’s kind of been involved there in some spotlight duty already with some different packages we’ve had throughout the season. We’ll be able to deploy him there some too.”
It won’t be entirely new for Barham, even in the NFL. He has mostly played in the middle, but PFF does record him with 27 snaps on the edge, too. Barham is a hard-hitting defensive football player. But he needs a position.
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