All-rookie teams are subjective in nature and as such, inherently flawed. All-rookie awards given after only four weeks of action are premature and devoid of acceptable sample sizes, therefore also flawed. So, when The Athletic released their Early NFL All-Rookie Team awardsin Week 5, it wasn’t hard to find issues.
At the same time, these all-encompassing awards are fun. They shed light on which prospects are living up to expectations, and which are not. They identify surprise standouts as well as surprise disappointments. For the Dallas Cowboys, they offer perspective on more a few key defenders in which fans have been both bullish and bearish about.
Caleb Downs has, not surprisingly, taken the top spot amongst rookie safeties. He and Dillon
Thieneman won first team honors, and as former first round picks, they were supposed to. While Downs has yet to log an interception this year, he leads his class in fumbles forced with three.
The snub comes at the linebacker position with defensive standout Jaishawn Barham failing to make neither the first team nor the second team. The guy who wears the green dot on the Cowboys defense and almost singlehandedly pumped hope into the linebacker position for Dallas, is nothing but an honorable mention on this list.
Not that the first team winners didn’t deserve it. Arvell Reese, the most physically talented linebacker in the class, and Jacob Rodriguez, a stat filling machine this season, deserve to sit at the top of the mountain, but to miss out on even second team is a kick to the jean shorts.
For as good as Sonny Styles, Josiah Trotter and Anthony Hill have been for their respective teams, a case can be made Barham has been more impactful than all three. Barham has been a team leader and tone setter on the Dallas defense, playing a big part in shutting down Baltimore’s dominant running game in Week 3.
The great @SkywalkerSteele called Jaishawn Barham a chaos backer in a conversation we had earlier this year. A good example. Even when he doesn't make the play, he causes havoc. pic.twitter.com/uryaVX0cdh
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) October 5, 2026
It seems the modest stat lines have held Barham back from the pack, even though film indicates he’s much more dominant than the stats show. Assuming Barham stays healthy, it’s a situation that should remedy itself as the season progresses. Even with the eventual return of DeMarvion Overshown, Barham is the top MIKE linebacker on the roster. A few more highlight reel plays should provide all the recognition this man needs.
Rookie's making big plays with a big impact 💥@dallascowboys | @JaishawnBarham pic.twitter.com/sKxn9vK6ZO
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2026
On the flip side is Malachi Lawrence, the Cowboys’ other first round pick. Lawrence has had a slow statistical start as a rotational player and it’s kind of by design. He was drafted as a project player with elite traits. He was an investment for the future more than as a contributor today. For him, making the honorable mention list was a pleasant surprise.
All-rookie lists don’t mean a whole lot, and lists made just four weeks into the year mean even less, but with three Cowboys on this list it certainly gives us something to think about.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys standout snubbed in early All-Rookie Team awards
