Jaishawn Barham, LB, Dallas Cowboys
An intriguing defensive shift is underway in Dallas, as new coordinator Christian Parker brings a Vic Fangio-inspired system to a roster that has endured a brutal coaching carousel. Dallas has had four defensive coordinators in the past four years: Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer, Matt Eberflus and now Parker. That car wash, along with some bad injury luck and draft misses (and the trade of Micah Parsons) has left the Cowboys’ defense thin on young and exciting talent.
Barham might change that. He started his career in college as an inside linebacker before kicking to the edge in his final season with Michigan. Dallas plans to move the third-round pick back to stack linebacker, where plenty of snaps are up for grabs in a thin room that features Dee Winters and DeMarvion Overshown. But because Barham has experience rushing the passer, he can fill the Zack Baun/Jihaad Campbell role in Dallas — an integral spot in the Eagles’ defense that Parker helped coach for the past two seasons. How often the Cowboys give Barham snaps in training camp — and where exactly he lines up — will be a sign of how the first-year coordinator intends to call defense in 2026.