FRISCO, Texas — Fresh off the Dallas Cowboys’ best defensive performance of the 2025 season in a 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 7, owner and general manager Jerry Jones promised reinforcements were on the way.
“We got a chance to evolve into the kind of team that our fans deserve,” Jones said after the game.
That wasn’t simply Jones trying to stir the pot. Electrifying Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown tweeted “T-21” on Monday, indicating that his 21-day practice window — which gives teams three weeks to decide whether to activate a player or move him to season-ending injured reserve — had opened. That timeline suggests Overshown could return after the team’s Week 10 bye for Week 11 at the Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football.”
Overshown tore his ACL for the second time in his career on Thanksgiving last season. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed that Overshown’s window had opened, along with those for third-round rookie cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. (knee) and starting center Cooper Beebe (ankle). Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo (knee) will be activated this week from injured reserve. Beebe has been working in the rehab group at Dallas practice the past few weeks along with Overshown and Revel.
“Don’t predict they’re all playing, but again, we’re excited to get those guys back. They’ve worked so hard. Demo [Overshown] and Von [Revel] and really all the guys have worked so hard to get back that I’m excited to get them out there. But we’ll be smart, and we’ll ramp them up and see how they do”
Here’s the outlook for Overshown and Revel this season, plus an update on defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who suffered an elbow injury on Sunday.
Overshown is working his way back from his second major knee injury after tearing his ACL in the 2023 preseason as a rookie. He’s ahead of schedule in his rehab after saying during organized team activities that his target return date was Thanksgiving. Schottenheimer said he’s been impressed by Overshown’s growth on the mental side during his recovery.
“I think how much he’s been around [defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus] ‘Flus and how he sits right in front of the meetings. As I’ve been sitting in the [defensive] meetings, he sits right in front, and he’s got sunglasses on, which is kind of cool. I can’t pull that off. I try,” Schottenheimer said.
“He’s intent. You hear him wanting to answer all the questions when they’re asking another guy. You see him kind of mouthing the answer. I think it’s the understanding of he knows the physical part is going to take care of itself, but mentally and understanding the system and the calls: closed left, rock logs and all the different things that we do. The checks have to make versus certain formations, man, he’s all into that. So I think as you mature as a player you understand that it’s not just the movement skills and the ability to tackle and run guys down. It’s the mental side. It’s a chess match, and I think he’s gotten older and wiser. I think he’s really attacking the play.”
Clark suffered an elbow injury on a three-yard touchdown run by Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. with 2:39 left in the third quarter. He was officially listed as questionable but returned with 11:13 remaining in the fourth. Clark generated five quarterback pressures on Sunday, tying his 2025 season high. His 23 pressures lead the Cowboys this year.
“I think he’s going to be good,” Schottenheimer said of Clark. “He’s tough as nails, and I thought he did a really good job yesterday affecting the quarterback from a pass-rush standpoint too. The push that he and Osa [Odighizuwa] got in the middle was good to see.”
Even after Dallas’ best defensive outing of the year against Washington, the Cowboys still rank last in the NFL in pass defense, allowing 260.3 yards per game. Getting Revel back can only help Eberflus’ maligned secondary.
“You’ve just seen it over the last couple of weeks working with [director of rehab] Britt [Brown] — you’ve seen the confidence and the change of direction in the things that he’s doing, which now makes us very comfortable opening his window and letting him go out there and play football, which he loves to do,” Schottenheimer said. “Again, it’ll be mostly scout-team stuff probably this week. Let him run around and chase CeeDee and George and those guys around, see how he does. He’s going to make mistakes, but I’m pretty sure that he’s really, really good at football too. … I’m proud of him.”
Dallas has been eager to get its third-round pick on the field given the attrition at cornerback this season, especially with Pro Bowl corner Trevon Diggs having suffered a concussion. There’s plenty of excitement around the building for when Revel finally suits up.
“The size [6-foot-1, 194 pounds] and the athleticism jumped off the film in college. I think that, again, he has the traits that we love in corners: they have length, they have competitive spirit, things like that,” Schottenheimer said. “I don’t want to go too far over the top in my praise for Von because it’s going to be a little bit of a process. I’m excited to get him out there on the grass, running around and chasing around some pretty good receivers.”
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