OXNARD, Calif. – Rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham has been one of the biggest storylines of camp so far but he didn't finish Thursday's practice in uniform because of an apparent groin injury. The rookie who is seemingly battling for a starting job at inside linebacker, left practice early, spending a few minutes in the medical tent. He then walked off the field and into the training room, only to return in street clothes to watch the rest of practice.
It doesn't appear as if the injury is serious and the Cowboys will likely just monitor Barham's progress in the next few days. The third-round pick from Michigan has been getting some first-team reps at linebacker, alongside Dee Winters. Barham has been overly impressive with his quickness to the ball and his physicality, which was also on display earlier in practice when he mixed it up with running back Israel Abanikanda on a 1-on-1 drills.
Here are some other news and observations from the staff writers about Thursday's practice.
Here are some of the top observations from Tuesday in Oxnard by the staff writers:
Agent 0 Returns: The biggest key to DeMarvion Overshown's success in 2026 is, simply put, to remain healthy and available for the Cowboys. The good news is he entered training camp at 100 percent, and has been flying around ever since. Unfortunately, Overshown was sidelined during the second padded practice but, thankfully, it was a minor issue with soreness. He was back on the field for the third padded practice, without limitations, and once again flying all over the place — exactly what he needs to keep doing going forward. - (Patrik Walker)
3 the Hard Way: Every single rep I've seen George Pickens take in this year's training camp has felt as if his entire career was on the line, and that is not an exaggeration. That energy continued in the third padded practice, when a go ball from Dak Prescott in one-on-one drills saw Pickens haul in an amazing catch while going to the ground, and with Shavon Revel draped over him in perfect coverage. It's not the first catch like that for Pickens in camp, and it won't be the last, but it feels like every time is the first time. - (Patrik Walker)
Turbo Turp: KaVontae Turpin was noticeably active in the receiving game during Thursday's practice, both on screen passes and deeper down the field. After practice, Dak Prescott said he thinks Turpin can do "a lot" for Dallas' offense in 2026: "Turp's a guy that we all understand, he gets the ball in his hand… whatever it is, you've got to watch out. He's going to be a huge factor to this offense, as he's been." - (Tommy Yarrish)
Road Block:Â As has been the case for most of training camp, Dallas' defensive tackles had reps that made it very difficult for the Cowboys offense to get something going in the middle. On Thursday, veteran Kenny Clark was noticeably in the backfield often, tallying two runs stuffs and helping open up plays for linebacker like Dee Winters and DeMarvion Overshown to do their jobs as well. - (Tommy Yarrish)
Sidelined: Princeton Fant spent the majority of practice watching from the sidelines with his crutches in hand. After recently suffering a torn ligaments in his ACL and MCL, Fant is waiting for the swelling to subside before he undergoes surgery. The Cowboys did move him from the roster to Injured Reserve, where he'll likely remain for the entire season. – (Nick Eatman)
