Barham lit up State Farm Stadium in his first outing of the preseason, and such was his performance that some think he might be on the road to being a starter.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker/edge Jaishawn Barham had been the talk of the offseason in Oxnard as the rookie was making his presence felt early and often.
But injury struck, and Barham was forced to sit for a couple of days to recover, so when the Cowboys stated that Barham was back and practicing, we were excited.
Then, knowing that Barham was going to play snaps against the Arizona Cardinals in Dallas' second preseason game, our excitement levels grew.
And Jaishawn repaid that, grabbing a TFL, multiple pressures and being a monster at linebacker. Oh, and he wore the green dot as well.
Such was Barham's performance that some think he might be in line to push for a starting role with DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters as your starters right now.
But what does head coach Brian Schottenheimer think of Barham's chances of starting?
"We haven't done the play time yet, but I will say when he performed, he performed very well," Schottenheimer said. "The physical nature that he plays the game is real. You feel it, they [Cardinals] felt it. ...''
As our Mike Fisher wrote, "Barham plays MEAN.''
So, it is clear that Barham made quite an impression against the Cardinals, to the extent that after I saw a couple of plays, I was sold. Seal him in bubble wrap.
But as we know, playing well for a handful of snaps in preseason is one thing. Going out at MetLife Stadium in Week 1 is another thing entirely.
However, you can make the case that Jaishawn is pushing Overshown and Winters really hard, and while there are still some things to work on for the rookie, Schottenheimer was pleased with his efforts but refused to anoint anyone as a starter.
"We haven't penciled in the starting lineup yet at really most spots, and still a lot of competition, but he's a guy that maximizes opportunity, and he's earned more opportunities," Schottenheimer added.
"He plays the game the right way, and that play style that we were talking about, it was very cool for him in his very first game to see him do that."
We aren't sure how much the third-rounder from Michigan will play this weekend against the New Orleans Saints in Dallas' final preseason game, but it is clear the rookie is making waves.
Playing like his hair is on fire, along with being a physically punishing linebacker/edge, Barham has all the tools to be a quality player for Christian Parker, whether that's as a starter or not.
