Cowboys expect a 'big' jump from DeMarvion Overshown as the Dallas defense looks for an answer
Two ACL tears, two long rehabs, and a defensive coordinator change. Year four for the Texas product could finally be the season Dallas drafted him for.
DeMarvion Overshown is healthy for the first time in three years. The Cowboys' third-round pick from 2023 has played only 22 NFL games due to two ACL tears (the second of which came in December 2024). Dallas needs him to finally deliver in 2026, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer set the bar publicly at OTAs.
What did the coach actually say?
Schottenheimer kept it simple. 'We need a big jump from DeMarvion. He's healthy, he's around the ball, he's playing fast. That's the version we drafted.' The Cowboys' defense ranked 25th in DVOA last year and gave up 27.4 points per game. Overshown's return is the biggest single internal addition the team has.
What happened in the two ACL tears?
First tear: August 2023, preseason game against the Raiders. Cost him his entire rookie season. Returned in 2024 to play 12 games, posted 5 sacks, 13 TFLs and was on the All-Rookie radar. Then the December 2024 ACL tear against the Bengals (the same knee). Missed all of 2025. The Cowboys' medical staff held him out of voluntary OTAs through April 2026 to be conservative, then cleared him in early May.
What does the new defensive coordinator want from him?
Matt Eberflus (in year two as Dallas DC) runs a 4-3 defense that asks linebackers to flow downhill on run downs and drop into curl-flat zones on pass downs. Overshown is faster than the typical 4-3 SAM linebacker and Eberflus has hinted at using him as a designed blitzer on third downs, similar to how the Cowboys used Micah Parsons in 2021 (before Parsons grew into a full-time edge rusher).
Where does he fit on the depth chart?
Starting strongside linebacker. Eric Kendricks, signed in 2025 free agency, is the middle linebacker. Damone Clark plays the WILL spot. Overshown's coverage skills make him the most likely to stay on the field in nickel sub-packages, where Dallas tends to use only two linebackers. He should clear 750 snaps if healthy.
What's the realistic ceiling?
If he plays 17 games: 90 to 110 tackles, 6 to 8 sacks, 2 to 4 forced fumbles. The 2024 12-game pace projected to 7 sacks and 18 TFLs over a full season. That production would be Pro Bowl level at linebacker. The Cowboys' defense needs exactly that kind of impact player. The Parsons trade rumors that bubbled up in early 2025 have quieted; both Parsons and Overshown back at full speed gives Dallas its best front seven since 2022.
Players in this story
Sources
- Cowboys: Hope for 'big' jump from healthy DeMarvion Overshown
- Pro Football Network: Cowboys DeMarvion Overshown 2025 status
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