The Dallas Cowboys have wrapped up their final day of training camp, shifting focus to their preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints.
Dallas had plenty of offensive highlights, with Dak Prescott and company looking good. George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb made some nice plays, but undrafted rookie Camden Brown made the highlight play of the night with his back-shoulder catch on a deep ball.
Despite the offense getting all the attention, the defense also had standout performances. One rookie is really starting to stand out as a force in the unit and could make a convincing argument for more playing time in 2026.
Dallas Cowboys Close Out Camp With Great Rookie Performance
GettyJaishawn Barham #55 of the Dallas Cowboys
The topic of the final practice for the Cowboys was rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham. At the start of the practice, Barham actually got in with the first-team defense on reps. After that, he turned it into an audition tape for a full-time starting role.
“Jaishawn Barham probably would have multiple sacks on pressures tonight.”
“Barham forced a Prescott fumble on a blitz up the middle. Coaches probably liked it some but didn’t like that he broke the “halo,” around the QB.”
After most snaps he was not involved in during team drills, Von Miller would run about a 30-yard sprint, working on his conditioning.
Last season with the Michigan Wolverines, Barham finished the year with 32 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble. He was a freshman All-American at Maryland earlier in his college career.
In the Cowboys’ 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 of the preseason, Barham racked up five tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
Cowboys Cannot Ignore What They Have in Jaishawn Barham
GettyCowboys rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham is turning heads at training camp and could play a bigger role on defense than anyone expected in 2026.
There’s no denying the talent level with Barham and how he is playing. He plays with aggression and flies around the field. Dallas has needed a young linebacker like that on their defense for a long time.
DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters are expected to be the starters for Week 1 for the Cowboys. Barham is also competing with Shemar James and Justin Barron for playing time at linebacker.
The Cowboys’ final preseason game against the Saints could be used as another showcase for Barham. He showed in the Cardinals game that he deserves to at least be in the rotation at linebacker and play loose and aggressively.
Dallas will be looking for more guys like that this season, but it’s not clear what kind of role Barham will have on the Cowboys in 2026. He has received praise from all his coaches, suggesting he’s doing everything right to earn a spot.
Training camp and preseason are one thing, but what he can do in the regular season, though, will tell a different story. Those are starters he will be going up against, not the backups in preseason.
Barham is off to a good start in his NFL career and has a chance to be a great player. The Cowboys just need to see that consistently this season.
Cowboys Standout Rookie Sent Loud Statement on Final Day of Camp