Did Cowboys do enough to address LB position?

The Dallas Cowboys spent the second day of the NFL Draft loading up on defense, but the question hanging over their offseason remains unanswered: did they do enough at linebacker?

Dallas traded a fifth-round pick to San Francisco for Dee Winters and used their lone Day 2 selection — No. 92 overall — on Michigan's Jaishawn Barham. The moves represent a clear investment in the position, but they also highlight the gap the Cowboys are trying to fill.

Winters showed promise as a rotational piece with the 49ers, logging solid special-teams snaps and flashes of impact in limited defensive action. He's a proven NFL commodity, but he's not a definitive starter. Barham, meanwhile, is a projection — a physically gifted player whose college production didn't always match his athleticism. The Cowboys' own draft brass compared him to top-five pick Arvell Reese, which sets a high bar for a third-round selection.

The Cowboys' linebacker room was thin before the draft. The departure of key contributors in free agency left a void that neither Winters nor Barham is guaranteed to fill immediately. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer's plan to start Barham inside before expanding his role on passing downs is reasonable for development, but it also means the Cowboys may be relying on a rookie and a trade acquisition to stabilize a position where mistakes are magnified.

The broader context matters. Dallas is retooling its defense under new coordinator Christian Parker, and the draft approach — defense-heavy, value-oriented — reflects that priority. But linebacker is a position where continuity and communication matter as much as talent, and this group will need time to develop that cohesion.

The Cowboys still have three fourth-round picks on Day 3, and adding another linebacker there is a realistic possibility. But as of now, the answer to whether they've done enough is: maybe, but not definitely.

What This Means For You: For Cowboys fans and NFL observers, the linebacker question is the kind of roster gap that doesn't show up in September but can derail a season by December. Dallas is betting on upside over certainty — a reasonable gamble, but one with a narrow margin for error in a competitive NFC East.