Week 1 wasn’t an ideal outing for anyone on the Dallas Cowboys defense. They were bullied throughout the game as the New York Giants dominated the line of scrimmage as well as the time of possession.
Rookie Jaishawn Barham had issues as well, which is typical for rookies in their debut. What was worse for him, however, was seeing a sideline interaction with defensive coordinator Christian Parker going viral. Barham was criticized for showing emotion and walking away from Parker, but everyone in the organization said there were no concerns while adding that Barham is an extremely passionate player.
In Week 2, the defense still had far too many struggles, but Barham wasn’t one of them. He finished with seven tackles, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble against the Washington Commanders and was the team’s highest-rated player according to PFF.
After that performance, Barham now enters the third week of the season in a surprising spot. With two games under his belt, Barham is the top-rated defensive rookie in the NFL with a PFF grade of 84.8. That’s an impressive stat on its own, but looks even better when you realize Barham is the only rookie above an 80, with Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Josiah Trotter coming in second with a 78.0.
Jaishawn Barham isn’t the only promising rookie on the Cowboys defense
It’s easy to get caught up in the defensive struggles for Dallas, but no one should have expected things to be smooth sailing. After firing Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator, they replaced him with a rookie in Christian Parker.
Parker has plenty of promise, but he’s still inexperienced and learning on the job. That’s a challenge on its own, but the Cowboys also have a defense that’s completely overhauled from a season ago. They’re also leaning on many rookies, such as Barham.
The good news for the Cowboys is that they have seen multiple young players show promise, including first-round pick Caleb Downs. The safety from Ohio State has the third-highest PFF grade among all defensive rookies with a 75.9.
Even rookies such as Malachi Lawrence have shown flashes, despite his low overall grade of 49.2. As a pass rusher, Lawrence has a grade of 72.3, which is 24th in the league. Lawrence has two pressures and has yet to record a sack, but he’s trending in the right direction overall.
Cowboys fans need to be patient, but there’s reason for hope. This overhaul might not produce immediate results, but there’s hope that they could be building a great foundation with these promising rookies leading the way.
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