The Cowboys only held a late 3rd round pick, which means there was a lot of time to discuss other moves. Originally, the Cowboys traded their 2nd round pick to New York for Quinnen Williams and their 3rd to Pittsburgh for George Pickens.
Last month, Dallas made a trade to send Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers for pick 92. During those talks, there was a desire to bring linebacker Dee Winters to Dallas. The trade did not work out at the time, but there was interest.
Stephen Jones said in the post-draft press conference that San Francisco was focused on making their early day two pick, but once that passed, the talks picked up, and the trade was official in under an hour on day two.
Jaishawn Barham, Linebacker, Michigan
The comments will pour in on the Cowboys and their Michigan defenders. They have been burned in the past with Taco Charlton and Mazi Smith, but drafting the wrong players should not cancel a school for eternity.
Barham played with different coaches and in a different scheme; it is unfair to put that Michigan tag on him.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way. Barham had multiple interactions with the Cowboys through the process. The Cowboys are going to start Michigan’s Jaishawn Barham as an inside linebacker, according to Brian Schottenheimer. He brought up Zack Baun as a reference for Christian Parker’s system.
Barham was ranked as an early 3rd-rounder on the consensus big board and graded as a 90.4 on PFF in run defense.
Get to Know Jaishawn Barham
Born in Hyattsville, Maryland, Barham was the 10th-ranked linebacker in the 2022 class and the No. 3 recruit in Maryland. He had several big offers from schools like Florida, Penn State and Texas A&M, but he chose to stay close to home and went to the University of Maryland.
He played linebacker for his two seasons at Maryland before transferring to Michigan and starting at linebacker for the Wolverines, racking up 66 tackles and 3.5 TFLs. Wink Martindale (Michigan DC) knew the value of pass rush in the NFL and transitioned Barham to that role in 2025 to help boost his stock.
Former Michigan LBs coach Brian Jean-Mary raved about Barham, “In terms of physical talent, he’s one of the best I’ve ever been around.”
Once he moved to the edge, he jumped to 10 TFLs. Barham was excited to be a Dallas Cowboy and said he wants to “work on his counters” this summer.
During an interview with the Dallas Cowboys Draft Show, Barham was asked about his violent play style. “I’m trying to blow stuff up… cause havoc, and I’m trying to cause problems for the offense.” The importance of playing with that high motor, “I feel like that’s that’s a great thing because that’s really something you can’t coach. So, I feel like stuff like that, like your motor and your pursuit to the ball and just your want, I feel like that’s something that every coach want their team.”
Barham wanted to let Cowboys fans know that they were getting a good player and a great guy off the field. “I feel like they got a guy that’s not going to get any trouble… just going to lead by the right way on and off the field pretty much and uh I’m going to represent that star the right way.”
My Thoughts on Barham
Watching Barham in 2025, Michigan deployed him as an edge rusher. He seemed like a raw prospect and flashed some bend off the edge and just plays fast. He definitely needs to develop his skills and counter moves more if he is a full-time edge.
Luckily, I checked out some of his 2024 film, because I realized that he was not an edge rusher by nature. He plays linebacker with the ability to blitz. He plays with power and has great instincts for where the play is going. A great run defender.
Here is an excerpt from my draft profile on Barham:
As an outside linebacker, he has a quick first step and is bendy off the edge. He wins early, he needs the speed. He is not overly physical and can get swarmed up if you guess his first move. He’s a smart run defender. In 2024, he played more off-ball linebacker. He showed good instincts and moved around well. He needs to develop more as an edge rusher. The way he played linebacker looked more polished; he had good instincts against the run and could be used as a blitzer.
I think it is interesting how Christian Parker is finding players that are similar to the guys he had in Philly. Barham can be deployed as a speedy linebacker who can cover the weak side zone and be ready to be a part of run support.
Brett's Cowboys Corner 
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