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Headbutts, position switch among 5 things to know about Cowboys Barham
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- Headbutts, position switch among 5 things to know about Cowboys Barham
The Dallas Cowboys waited through 59 picks on Day 2 of the draft, only making a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for linebacker Dee Winters before they got on the clock. They went defense for the third-straight selection, adding Jaishawn Barham, an off-ball linebacker and edge out of Michigan . He is an excellent ball of clay who could develop into a plus pass rusher with the ability to drop into coverage if he develops correctly.
Dallas wouldn't draft a prospect without knowing everything it can about him , but for fans who want some info on the newest Cowboys player, here are five interesting things about pick No. 92 in the third round.
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Barham flipped commitment to stay home before transferring to Michigan
After receiving offers from Penn State, Texas A&M, Iowa, and Florida, Barham committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks but on signing day he decided to stay home and attend Maryland his first two college seasons. He left for Michigan to team up with his friend Derrick Moore and finish his final two years of college. They were teammates at St. Francis Academy in high school and a higher profile, plus teaming with Moore made it an easy decision for Barham.
Barham was once penalized for headbutting an official
Barham almost became enemy number one for the Michigan Wolverine fanbase after he was flagged for headbutting official Kole Knueppel and giving rival Ohio State a first and goal after they had made a stop on third down. He wasn't ejected, the defense still held to a field goal, and the game ended up a blowout for the Buckeyes, so he dodged the chaos after causing a ton of it.
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He improved his run defense every season
Barham had a 70.6 Pro Football Focus run grade in 2022 as a freshman at Maryland. It increased to 75.1 in 2023 before moving to Michigan. In Michigan, as a linebacker, his PFF run grade it jumped to 86.7 in 2024, and in his final year, after the switch to an edge rusher, he bumped it up to 90.4. Barham is known for his pass rush, but the run defense got better every single season.
Switched to edge his final season at Michigan
Barham played off-ball linebacker for three seasons at Maryland where he was a freshman All-American and led his team in sacks and tackles. In his two seasons at Maryland, he played off-ball linebacker and accumulated 95 tackles, 9.5 for a loss, and seven sacks. In his second season at Michigan he switched two an edge defender in. He played 304 defensive line snaps in 2025, more than the 268 he played there in 2022-2024 combined.
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He could be versatile or a tweener
Barham doesn't have the size to play edge in the NFL all game, but his instincts as an off-ball linebacker are still developing. The question for the new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker is could he be a Zack Baun type under Parker? Will Dallas deploy him as an edge rusher who they limit to passing downs or as a linebacker who can cover, blitz, or spy opposing quarterbacks.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Five things to know about newest Cowboys draft pick LB Jaishawn Barham
