FRISCO — Cowboys rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham has shown a propensity to handle a lot this offseason. There was one moment that tested him, however.
Barham’s preseason debut was delayed by a week after he was ruled out of the first preseason game with the Seattle Seahawks. He suffered a groin injury earlier in training camp, forcing him out of joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams, as well. It “killed” Barham to miss his preseason debut against the Seahawks, owner Jerry Jones would later say on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM).
“I almost couldn’t do it,” Barham said of sitting out against Seattle.
Barham made up for lost time, however. He quickly impressed in his preseason debut against the Cardinals, finishing with five tackles and one tackle for loss.
This is just silly from Jaishawn Barham pic.twitter.com/z5KARJ4qGS
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) August 23, 2026Barham said he had a simple mentality before his preseason debut.
“I don’t like them,” Barham said, adding that he treats every team the same.
Barham has been accustomed to making good impressions early in his NFL career. The third-round pick out of Michigan rose up the depth chart quickly in Oxnard. By the third practice he was already rotating in with the starting defense. Less than a week into camp, Barham had become one of the talks of training camp. Jones even brought him up when asked about which players had impressed him. He referred to Barham as a “wardaddy.”
The groin injury halted Barham’s rise temporarily. And though it bothered Barham to be off the field, the time away didn’t stunt his progression. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that Barham picked up right where he left off.
Everyone around the Cowboys has spoken highly about Barham’s ability on the field and his focused inquisitiveness off it. Up until Tuesday, Barham had preferred to let his play — and others — speak for him.
Barham spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s training camp practice at The Star in Frisco for the first time since rookie minicamp. He acknowledged it means a lot that the coaches have trusted him with an increased role, including operating as the green-dot linebacker against the Cardinals on Saturday, but he was quick to point out that he has room for improvement.
“I feel like all around,” he said after listing some areas where he hopes to get better. “I’m not perfect. There’s a lot of stuff I can still work on.”
That doesn’t mean he can’t handle playing early on, however.
“Week 1?” Barham asked. “I’m ready right now.”
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