People love to be surprised. Sports fans love it when that surprise is a good thing for their team. Dallas Cowboys fans seem to love it when a guy sort-of comes out of nowhere to dominate the fans’ interest at camp. That’s what has happened here in 2026.
We recently ran a poll to find out what was the best headline story from camp according to Cowboys fans. We brought up George Pickens and how nobody can cover him. And Shavon Revel Jr. finding his confidence going up against Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.
We tried a real surprise from UDFA Camden Brown in his chase of the roster. Heck, we threw in Caleb Downs, who everybody was talking about early in camp.
None of that mattered as Jaishawn Barham flattened the competition just like he did to that Cardinals running back last week. 50% of fans liked the “Jaishawn Barham emerges as a force” headline as the best from Oxnard. The next best was the Revel storyline at 17%.
It’s easy to see why. Barham plays violently. The Cowboys desperately need linebacker play. He just looks like a football player. A prototype. He has captured the imagination of the fans.
Now all he has to do is do it for real. It starts in a couple of weeks.
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