Jaishawn Barham left Thursday's practice early with an apparent groin injury, then spent a few minutes in the medical tent before walking to the training room and later returning in street clothes to watch the rest of the session. The injury does not appear to be serious, but it interrupted one of the camp's most closely watched players.
Barham, a third-round pick from Michigan, had been getting first-team reps at linebacker alongside Dee Winters, which made his exit noteworthy for a defense still sorting out roles in camp. He had also mixed it up with Israel Abanikanda in one-on-one drills earlier in practice, another sign he was active before the issue surfaced.
That matters because Barham had been one of the biggest storylines of camp so far and was seemingly battling for a starting job at inside linebacker. A minor groin issue does not rewrite that competition, but it does slow a player whose position work had been moving him into a prominent spot before Thursday's interruption.
The setback also landed on a day when DeMarvion Overshown was back without limitations after sitting out the second padded practice with soreness, a reminder that the Cowboys are still trying to keep their linebacker group intact through camp. Brian Schottenheimer and the staff will likely monitor Barham's progress over the next few days, which is the real question now: whether he can get back onto the field quickly enough to keep building on the first-team work he had earned.
