FRISCO, Texas — One of the most glaring boxes that still required a checkmark going into the 2026 NFL Draft for the Dallas Cowboys was at the linebacker position. Knowing this, but also well-aware they lacked a second-round pick, a plan was formulated and ultimately executed, on Day 2, that brought Dee Winters to roster by way of a trade with the San Francisco 49ers.
They'd then double down by using their third-round pick on former Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham, a versatile prospect who can and will be used at outside linebacker but, per defensive coordinator Christian Parker, will begin the summer at MIKE (middle) LB for the Cowboys.
It all begs the question of who will be the green dot — the onfield player that helps the coordinator communicate plays and ensures everybody is lined up correctly — in 2026.
"The biggest thing I wanna say about that is we're going to train so many people in the green dot, that we're going to find out who's comfortable doing it," said head coach Brian Schottenheimer. "It might be [DeMarvion Overshown]. It might be Jalen Thompson. It might be Dee Winters. It might be whoever."
It's interesting to see Thompson's name in the mix, because while his exceedingly high football IQ certainly makes him a candidate for the role, Schottenheimer also made it known during the NFL draft — in one of the end-of-day press conferences — that the green dot would be a linebacker, not a defensive back, also pointing out that 11th-overall pick Caleb Downs will likely contribute on occasion.
The U-turn following rookie minicamp but ahead of OTAs shows Schottenheimer and the Cowboys are truly opening it up to be a sort of competition to land the green dot role.
"I think, at the end of the day, it comes down to communication for the entire defense," Schottenheimer added. "If we were playing a game this week, I couldn't tell you who's going to be the green dot. But we're not playing a game for a while. There will be trial and error. There will be different things, different packages of guys being together.
"I have my favorite of who I think will be the green dot, but I'm not going to share it."
That's not the only question that needs answering in Dallas, though, but it also ties to the linebackers room.
Who will be the MIKE (middle) linebacker going forward? That's anyone's guess at the moment, because Barham will get the aforementioned shot at the role, but so will Winters, and the team seems fairly high on second-year talent Justin Barron as well, though the latter has an uphill climb to try and leapfrog Barham and Winters for the job.
And, quiet as it's kept, the signing of veteran linebacker Curtis Robinson both reunites the former 49er with Winters in Dallas while adding another candidate for the MIKE role, even if for depth, in competition with Barron behind the starters, one could logically surmise.
None of this means the Cowboys are done shopping but, if they are, Schottenheimer feels they'll be fine as-is.
"I'm comfortable where we are," he said. "We're not not looking. We're not not evaluating. I think adding Dee and Jaishawn, and Curtis Robinson, we'll get a chance to evaluate these guys once Phase 1 is ended. We're never closed for business.
"At the end of the day, we've got a great group of linebackers and now it's about training them with Christian and Scott Symons and getting them on the same page about the system we want to run."
From working to figure out the green dot to solving the equation at middle linebacker, the two things inherently and mostly tethered to one another, it'll be an interesting summer for Christian Parker's shiny new defense.
