For the Dallas Cowboys, something will have to give. It’s an unusual circumstance for this team in recent years, but they appear to have one too many linebackers, with DeMarvion Overshown trending toward returning from his hamstring injury for Week 4 against the Texans, and presumably taking back his starting role alongside Dee Winters. Except one thing: Rookie Jaishawn Barham’s arrival on the scene and immediate impact for Dallas might well make him too good to take out of the starting 11.
There seems to be little doubt that Barham, a third-round pick from Michigan, should remain a starter, perhaps even at the Mike position he has been manning with Winters at Will. If Barham comes back and stays at Mike, then, either Overshown or Winters will need to head to the bench after beginning the season as the starting duo.
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Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, speaking to the media on Tuesday, indicated that Barham could, in fact, remains the starter. He did not commit to that, but the groundwork appears to have been laid.
Said Schottenheimer, via Tommy Yarrish of the team website: “A lot. I think he’s doing everything in his power to fight to keep that spot. We’re very pleased with not only how he’s doing, but how he’s grown. Part of playing young players is that they’re going to make mistakes, and they’re going to grow from those mistakes.
“I see less mistakes from Jaishawn in this game than I saw from him in the Giants game. And so I think that’s good, and he’s making a pretty strong case to not leave the field.”
Jaishawn Barham Easily Highest Rated LB
Barham was impressive in training camp and through the preseason, an aggressive hitter and ball-chaser. His aggressiveness can be turned against him, and that was one of the concerns that saw him get knocked back to the third round in the draft–he overpursues and smart teams can take him out of plays because of it.
Pro Football Focus’s grades would certainly favor Barham. PFF is not always the most useful when it comes to grading linebackers, but their view on the Cowboys’ situation is clear: Barham has a grade of 70.8 (19th ni the NFL), while Winters is at 35.3, 71st out of 71 linebackers. Overshown is worse, at 29.4, but does not have enough snaps to qualify for overall rankings.
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