The Dallas Cowboys could have an injury on their hands at the most overhauled position this offseason.
After the failed moves for Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn, the Cowboys traded for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters mid-way through the second day of the 2026 NFL Draft, and subsequently selected Michigan’s Jaishawn Barham with the 92nd overall pick.
And after footage emerged of Barham leaving practice early on Thursday and heading to the medical tent, the depth at the position may be temporarily getting thinner.
The Star Telegram’s Nick Harris first shared video footage of Barham walking the injury tent, although there was no obvious incident beforehand that could have given insight into the reason behind Barham needing a medical evaluation.
A reassuring factor for Cowboys fans will no doubt be the fact that Barham left the field unassisted. Furthermore, The Athletic’s Jon Machota’s footage appears to show Barham telling a member of the staff that he was “good”, despite heading to the locker room.
There are no further updates on Barham at this time, but the team will likely disclose any further injury news over the next 24 hours.
How Could This Impact the Cowboys’ Linebacker Room?
Both at inside and outside linebacker Dallas made it a point of emphasis to shake things up and bolster talent at the positions.
Alongside adding Barham and Winters on the interior, the team traded for Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary back in March before drafting rookie Malachi Lawrence out of UCF with the 23rd overall pick.
And whilst the Cowboys are still feeling the void left by the trade that sent Micah Parsons to the Packers last August, on paper the outside linebacking group; which also features former second round picks Donovan Ezeiruaku and Sam Williams, pass rush specialist James Houston and the recently-transitioned from ILB Marist Liufau; looks to be far deeper.
The hope is no doubt that Barham’s injury is not particularly serious; a hope that is surely bolstered by the third round pick’s affirming words coming off the field and the lack of any apparent lower-leg damage; but in the meantime Dallas’ inside linebacking corps looks almost painfully thin.
Despite coming on ahead of schedule and looking promising at the end of last season, DeMarvion Overshown is still just months on from recovering from a devastating knee injury in December 2024 that saw him miss a full 12 months of action. Overshown is also currently suffering from leg soreness, but the issue is unlikely to keep him out more than a couple of days.
Sans Barham, the only viable option behind the starting pair of Overshown and Winters becomes second year fifth round pick Shemar James. James showed promise and talent in his first year, with his excellent reaction speed shining through as he made 91 tackles in 14 games and 6 starts on the seasons.
But if those three players are the only realistic linebacking candidates heading into the season, the Cowboys risk exposing themselves in a big way with any mid-season injuries.
Cowboys Rookie Leaves Practice, Heads to Medical Tent