The Dallas Cowboys will use rookie Jaishawn Barham at middle linebacker and P.J. Locke at free safety Sunday afternoon against the Washington Commanders. Barham will also handle the green-dot duties, receiving defensive instructions and relaying them to teammates before the snap.
Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and safety Malik Hooker are the only Cowboys players listed out. Overshown suffered a hamstring injury and Hooker broke his forearm in Dallas’ 28-20 Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. Hooker underwent surgery, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer said each player could miss about a week or two.
Dallas has not put Hooker on injured reserve. Overshown recorded seven tackles before leaving the opener.
Locke is the likely choice to stay deep at safety, allowing first-round rookie Caleb Downs to continue working closer to the line of scrimmage. Downs also played deeper after Hooker left the game in New York, but the coaching staff prefers him nearer the line. Offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius practiced fully despite a knee issue.
Outside linebacker James Houston also completed full practices Thursday and Friday after limited participation Wednesday. Neither player was assigned a game designation, so both are available against Washington. Both Overshown and Hooker missed all of the Cowboys’ practices during the week.
