Cowboys Depth Chart: Is there any proven inside linebacker depth?
Later this month, the Dallas Cowboys will depart for training camp in Oxnard, California, as they officially start the 2026 campaign, looking to crack the postseason for the first time since 2023.
In the Cowboys Depth Chart series, we will take a look at each position group to determine which players are safe, on the bubble or have work to do in terms of making the 53-man roster coming out of training camp in late August.
It’s been a revolving door at the inside linebacker spot for the past few years, almost directly coinciding with a similar rotation of faces at defensive coordinator. But after an offseason of personnel moves, the new-look room will shoot for more consistency in 2026.
Here is a look at the inside linebacker position heading into training camp.
SAFE (3)
- Dee Winters, DeMarvion Overshown, Jaishawn Barham
The two projected starters, Dee Winters and DeMarvion Overshown, will have safe roster spots going into training camp.
After trading a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the TCU product, the Cowboys will lean on Winters to bring youth and reliability to the off-ball linebacker spot with his 27 career starts and his 101 total tackles from last season.
Having a healthy offseason is a big step in the right direction for Overshown, as he enters a crucial contract year. He is still viewed as one of the league’s respected names at the position despite his two major knee injuries, but putting together a full healthy season will be the most important thing, not only for the Cowboys’ defense, but for his career after 2026. When healthy, Overshown’s pursuit and instincts make him an X-factor that forces opposing offenses to do extra game-plan work on.
Drafted in the third round in April, Jaishawn Barham brings flexibility from his college days at Michigan as an off-ball linebacker and a pass rusher off the edge. Expect to see him deployed in both roles during his rookie year, but with his main responsibility coming at the inside linebacker spot. His length and power will give the Cowboys an intriguing rotational option as the season goes on.
ON THE BUBBLE (2)
- Shemar James, Curtis Robinson
While 2025 fifth-round pick Shemar James did lead the team in tackles last season, more bodies have been brought in around him at the position that could make it a bit more difficult to carve out a role. He’s a lot closer to “safe” than most players you will find on the bubble in this series, but putting him in this category fits until there is a clear defensive role that’s shown for him. Regardless, James did show enough special teams value last season to have him factored into that mix.
Brought in as a rotational depth body with ample special teams experience, Curtis Robinson will have the edge with veteran experience over the “work to do” candidates. Last season, he played in 14 games after just 15 appearances in his previous four seasons. With the experience he’s had under special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen from their time together in San Francisco, Robinson will have a head start on making an early impression at training camp.
WORK TO DO (2)
- Justin Barron, Langston Patterson
It’s tough to crack the roster as an undrafted free agent, and that fits the mold for both of these players.
Justin Barron did appear in two games late in the year as a rookie in 2025, but he has a lot of work to do to move ahead on the depth chart in his second season so that he doesn’t get resorted to the practice squad once again.
A rookie undrafted free agent signing, Langston Patterson was mostly a rotational player in college at Vanderbilt, but his special teams experience will give him some opportunities on the grass in Oxnard. Simply finding playing time on the defensive side of the ball during the preseason will be a challenge.
