Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: LB Shemar James

Our next player profile in this series is the first one from the defense: linebacker Shemar James. He’s not as high on the depth chart as he was a few weeks ago, but James still figures to be on the 2026 roster in at least some kind of role, and the potential for significant playing time is still there for the second-year prospect.

Background

Years in NFL: 1
Acquired by: Drafted (2025 fifth round)

The Cowboys made James one of their two fifth-round picks in last year’s draft, the other being RB Jaydon Blue. At the time, James was seen a little more than a down-roster development player with strong special teams value. After all, Dallas has traded for veteran Kenneth Murray, signed Jack Sanborn for his experience in Matt Eberflus’ system, and had Marist Liufau as an intriguing second-year guy. They also anticipated DeMarvion Overshown’s return from injury during the regular season, and even still had Damone Clark as an experienced backup option.

Well, we know how that all went. Sanborn was a bust as the starting MLB and eventually got hurt. Murray moved to that role and was woefully miscast. Liufau, like most of our defenders, seemed to forget how to play in Eberflus’ scheme. Clark was just as lost and got cut midseason. And Overshown did return after 10 weeks, but between the team’s other defensive issues and being judicious in how they worked him back in, he didn’t get to do much.

If chaos is a ladder, James climbed it to six starts and more defensive snaps than any other LB but Murray. It wasn’t pretty at times: the rawness that made him a fifth-round pick showed up plenty of times, and he graded out as one of the league’s worst linebackers overall. But, to be fair, some of those grades came as a result of all the bad play around him.

It wasn’t all bad, though. The athletic traits that got James drafted were also on display, especially as a blitzer, and allowed him to still flash play-making potential. It was enough to keep him on the roster this offseason and still have plenty of optimistic supporters as we go into camp.

Contract Status

Years Left: 3
2026 Cap Hit: $1.11 million

Even if James’ role is reduced from last year, his contract won’t be an issue. Just one year into his rookie deal, James is still a relative bargain even as a backup and special teamer. Counting for well less than 1% of the total salary cap, any decisions made about him this summer won’t be for financial reasons.

2026 Projections

Role: Backup LB
Roster Chance: 90%

James may not hang on to his semi-starting role after Dallas’ busy offseason at linebacker. But even if he does have to come back down the ladder a bit, he will still have a lot of intrigue as a backup and developmental player, and should get plenty of work on special teams as originally intended.

At this point, we hope for a starting duo of a healthy Overshown and recently-acquired Dee Winters in Christian Parker’s 3-4 scheme. But other guys will get plenty of work, especially rookie Jaishawn Barham. We also have veteran Curtis Robinson, just signed a few days ago, and second-year prospect Justin Barron in the mix.

But once again, there is potential for chaos. Overshown’s health is one of the biggest X-factors on the roster. Barham’s still a rookie and may need time to be comfortable and earn trust. Winters and Robinson may have experience, but they have to adjust to a new team and system. Barron is even more raw than James, spending last year on the practice squad, and is undersized for a major role.

James may bring some of his own chaos to the party, too. Even if he didn’t get the best coaching last year, he is way ahead of projections in terms of on-field experience. He has learning and adapting challenges this year like his teammates, but that can also even the playing field a bit. If James takes to what Parker and LB Coach Scott Symons are installing as well or better than others, he has every opportunity to be a key player going forward.

Again, the most likely scenario is that Overshown and Winters will be the primaries, especially in nickel. But Shemar James could wind up being a major rotation piece, even as much or more than Barham, if he builds on his rookie season. If nothing else, he should hang around for depth and special teams. But that’s a low bar based on what we saw last year, and the ample opportunities for this year’s linebackers to claim playing time.