On Monday night in Philadelphia, the Dallas Cowboys came through with a much-needed win, and the fact that it was mostly against the Eagles “B team,” thanks to the raft of injuries that has knocked the NFC East rivals sideways does not much matter. Just imagine if Dallas had lost, after all. But along the way, the Cowboys do seem to be making more and more changes to their lineups and rotations, a process that began when the team brought in senior advisor Mike Pettine two weeks ago to help out in all areas, but especially with Christian Parker and the defense. In Week 7, the most notable was the bumping of rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham from the starting lineup.
Barham had been the wearer of the “green dot” for the Cowboys defense and the starting Mike linebacker for six weeks with DeMarvion Overshown out because of a hamstring injury. But with Overshown coming back, the team moved Barham to the bench and put in veteran Shemar James as the starter.
‘Maybe It Was Too Much’ for Jaishawn Barham
Bryan Broaddus, the former Cowboys NFL scout who now does media analysis around Dallas, reported after the game that Barham had not been sidelined for any injury concerns. “It was a coach’s decision,” he said. But the Cowboys did play Barham during the game, a total of 21 snaps, a season-low for him.
Barham was the hard-hitting defensive star for the Cowboys in the preseason, and was rated the best defensive rookie in the NFL in Week 2 by Pro Football Focus. But he can be over-aggressive at times and caught out of position. He needs a lot more polish to be an every-down linebacker.
Said Broaddus: “Maybe it was too much. We were so positive in the preseason about him in the preseason games and boy, is this guy going to be this, that and the other. He is going to be a fine player, don’t get it wrong. He does need to take a little break, I think, and getting him off the field I was the right thing to do.”
Cowboys Saw ‘Frustration’ Early in Season
It’s fair to wonder, too, if there is an emotional element to the Cowboys’ decision on Barham. Remember, he came to prominence early in the season, too, when video showed defensive coordinator Christian Parker giving Barham an intense talking-to on the sideline in Week 1 in New York, followed by Barham being angry and teary-eyed afterward. He is a young player, still just 22 years old.
Coach Brian Schottenehimer explained then: “You got a young player in Jaishawn that we think is going to be a dynamic player. He’s so talented. He’s so physical. Frustration came out a little bit. That’s all part of the process. You talk about a guy like Jaishawn Barham, he’s been through tough times like this before, and there’s no question, you watch the way he’s practicing this week, I have no question he’s gonna play great.
“A part of being a coach, part of being a leader of these young men is when things aren’t going well, you’re able to have real conversations and sometimes those conversations are interpreted in different ways by different people that aren’t involved in the conversation.”
Cowboys Star Rookie Gets ‘Little Break’ With Demotion