There was a lot of conjecture across the preseason, about the Dallas Cowboys finding themselves a steal in this past April's draft. Throughout training camp, fans in attendance in Oxnard and the beat writers who were assigned for the summer, kept talking about how impressive linebacker Jaishawn Barham looked in practice.
Dallas drafted the edge rusher out of Michigan in the third round, and immediately perked everyone's ears up when they announced he'd be playing off-ball linebacker in Christian Parker's defense. Barham played ILB at Maryland before transferring, and the Cowboys were returning him to his roots with the added pressure skill set of spending a year on the edge. It looked like it would pay immediate dividends during the preseason,
and through two weeks, it appears to be paying off. Can it pay off for the savvy bettor, too?
Pro Football Focus (PFF) has lauded Barham's early play. PFF identifies him as he best rookie defender through the first two weeks of the regular season.
While playing 79 snaps against the division-rival Giants and Commanders, Barham has accrued an 84.8 overall PFF grade. Not only is that the best in the NFL among qualified rookie defenders, but it’s also fairly exclusive air for a rookie. Since 2022, Barham’s mark is the second-best among first-year defensive players to play 75-plus snaps through Week 2, trailing only the grade reached by Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. in 2023 (85.2).
Barham had a great day on Sunday, forcing a fumble on a great read of a WR screen, evading the blocker and getting in on the receiver. But not only did Barham complete a tackle for loss, he stripped the wideout, with fellow linebacker Dee Winters recovering.
.@jaishawnbarham forced fumble and the @dwintersdos recovery 🫡
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 20, 2026
📺: #WASvsDAL on FOX
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The betting world has yet to catch on. As of Monday, BetMGM still has Barham as +8000 for defensive rookie of the year. Linebackers have a storied history of walking away with the award, but it's normally based on more conventional stats rather than advanced stats and grades. Barham is low on the roll call there, but with just 79 snaps under his belt, he certainly stands to shoot up the charts with more opportunity.
Dallas identified DeMarvion Overshown to start as the green dot linebacker, but a hamstring injury has him out and gave Barham the chance to start in Week 2. He may not give the job back if he continues playing like Dallas' best defender
PFF continues to laud him, not just as a rookie, but one of the game's top linebackers.
Barham’s specific highlight has been his work in coverage. Playing 37 coverage snaps, Barham has surrendered four catches on four targets, but only for a total of two yards. Unsurprisingly, that’s the fewest yards given up in coverage of any qualified linebacker thus far. Altogether, Barham’s 83.4 PFF coverage grade is the seventh-best at the position.
On top of that, the former Wolverine has been stout against the run. Barham has produced an 80.0 PFF run-defense grade, the fifth-best among linebackers with at least 35 snaps against run plays. On his 38 snaps, Barham has secured two stops and missed zero tackles. Altogether, zero of Barham’s run-defense snaps have received a negative grade, being the only player at his position to hold that distinction so far.
Barham’s efficacy downhill has already been evident. He’s missed only one tackle and tallied six total stops.
Fans looking to cash in may want to consider jumping on the Barham train early.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys rookie +8000 for DROY, tops PFF rookie ratings through Week 2
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