Dallas secured a 34–30 victory over Houston on Sunday, climbing to 2–2 after CeeDee Lamb’s late touchdown. The comeback was largely led by the veterans, while the rookie class had a less impressive afternoon. Notably, none of Dallas’ rookie defenders recorded a sack, tackle for loss, interception, or pass defended.
But here is how each rookie fared this week, listed in draft order, and any undrafted players worth noting after that.
Caleb Downs
(55 defensive snaps | 7 tackles | 0 TFL | 0 sacks | 0 INT | 0 passes
defended)
Downs tied for the team lead in tackles, but Houston found success attacking his coverage. PFF charged him with five completions on five targets for 54 yards. Downs spent much more time as a coverage safety this week than in his normal ‘in the box’ alignment. The tackle production was welcome, preventing those catches is the next challenge.
Malachi Lawrence
(20 defensive snaps | 1 tackle | 0 TFL | 0 sacks | 0 INT | 0 passes defended | 1 pressure)
Lawrence produced one pressure on 10 pass-rush snaps. That provided a flash of disruption, although his overall contribution remained modest. Dallas needs its first-round edge defender to turn those rotational opportunities into more frequent problems for opposing quarterbacks, as this pass rush unit is starting looking very suspect. And being caught offside is never helpful for a defense that spent an afternoon finding ways to get Houston’s offense off the field.
Jaishawn Barham
(39 defensive snaps | 1 tackle | 0 TFL | 0 sacks | 0 INT | 0 passes defended | 1 pressure)
Barham generated a pressure on just two rushes, showing value when sent forward. Elsewhere, his impact was limited: PFF recorded a missed tackle against the run and a 13-yard completion on his only coverage target. This was one of the more quieter outings during a run of successful weeks Barham has been having.
Drew Shelton
(1 offensive snap | 0 pressures allowed | 0 quarterback hits allowed | 0 sacks allowed)
Shelton’s lone offensive snap was a clean pass-blocking rep. That is a positive, but the workload offers little basis for a wider evaluation of his progress or readiness for a larger role.
LT Overton
(20 defensive snaps | 2 tackles | 0 TFL | 0 sacks | 0 INT | 0 passes defended | 0 pressures)
Overton contributed two assisted tackles, but his 10 pass-rush snaps produced no pressure. He supplied rotation depth without delivering a disruptive play. More penetration would give Dallas a stronger return from this role, but the entire defensive line shows concern when it comes to generating consistent pressure in the pass rush.
