Jaishawn Barham did not finish Thursday's practice in uniform after leaving early with an apparent groin injury, then spent a few minutes in the medical tent before heading to the training room. He later returned in street clothes and watched the rest of the session from the sideline.
That matters now because Barham has been one of the bigger Cowboys camp stories so far, with the third-round pick from Michigan getting first-team reps at inside linebacker alongside Dee Winters. If he is slowed at all, even briefly, it could interrupt a fight for work that has already begun to take shape during training camp.
The encouraging part for Dallas is that the injury does not appear serious. The less encouraging part is that Barham still had to leave practice, get checked, and change before the day was over, which is usually enough to keep a player out of drills for at least the rest of that session. The Cowboys will likely watch his progress over the next few days and see whether he is back at full speed when the next practice window opens.
Barham's exit came during a day that also featured other Cowboys notes: DeMarvion Overshown was back on the field for the third padded practice after sitting out the second padded practice with soreness, KaVontae Turpin stayed active in the passing game, and Dak Prescott praised Turpin's value after Thursday's practice. Kenny Clark also had two run stuffs, while Princeton Fant spent most of the day on the sidelines with crutches after the Cowboys moved him to Injured Reserve.
For Barham, the next few days will tell the story. If he is only limited, the team can treat Thursday as a short interruption. If he misses more practice time, the Cowboys will have to sort out how much a rookie rising in the middle of the defense can afford to lose while the camp jobs are still being won.
