DeMarvion Overshown’s return could give Cowboys juice they’ve been missing on defense

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys explosive linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is back… at practice. The 25-year-old, who tore his ACL in the 2023 preseason as a rookie and then his ACL again, MCL and PCL on Thanksgiving last year, returned to practice on Wednesday in a limited capacity. Overshown went through individual position drills and then more conditioning with him treating the practices right now as his version of training camp.  

“Ain’t God good man. He is. He is. It’s a blessing just to be out there. Been watching for 300-plus days now. So when you [are] a guy like me that football is more than just a game to you, it’s a way of life, you play with a passion and that energy. When you’re able to do it again, you never take it for granted,” Overshown said.

He plans to make his debut as the first Cowboy to wear the jersey No. 0 in a game after Dallas’ bye in Week 11 at the Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football.”

“That game, I mean, that’s what we’re looking like. Monday night prime time. Zero will be making his debut. I’m excited for it. It’s not going to be anything short of extraordinary,” Overshown said. “I’m ready to show truly how blessed I am. A lot of people claim that this knee injury is one of the worst of the worst and not too many people come back the same afterward. I’m ready to put that to the test.”

Believe it or not, Overshown felt like he was capable of moving around and doing everything right as Cowboys training camp kicked off at the end of July. Now, his process is more general conditioning than it is physical therapy-specific workouts. 

“Really before training camp. I kind of got an idea of where I should be just from the first knee injury. So once I got to that five, six-month period, it’s like ‘alright I should be doing a little bit of moving.’ Once I start moving around, it’s like ‘I’m going to be good.’ It’s a confidence thing and [a] mind thing at that point,” Overshown said. “My knee is healed, now it’s learning how to run again, learning how to be an NFL football player again. Because you know you don’t just wake up and do that overnight after being on a walker. I feel like for about four months I’ve been comfortable with my knee. It’s just been getting into football ready shape.”

Overshown is a player whose game is built around eye-popping athleticism, and he feels like his signature burst will be even better when he does take the field in a live game in November despite returning from a gruesome injury. 

“I’m stronger, and we’ve got the numbers to prove it. But stronger, faster, jump higher, more explosive. You name it, I’m all of it. My game, it’s not going to slow down. I think one of the worst things I heard over my rehab time was, ‘Man, you’ve got to slow down. We need you to play a full season. You’ve got to slow down.’ But that ain’t how I play,” Overshown said. “I know how to play one way, and that’s 100, full speed and that’s all you’re going to see. So the knee is stronger than strong.”    

The energy Overshown has already shown in practice and throughout his rehab has caught the eyes of teammates, especially new Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens who can’t wait to see Overshown in a game up close for the first time.

“D-Mo is another type of deal that I’ve never seen, especially at the linebacker position. He can do everything, so I haven’t ever seen that — let alone all the highlights,” Pickens said Wednesday. “I’m kind of ready to see it in real time. … He’s got different swag. I told you he’s a different type of dude. I’m just waiting to see it in person because it’s my first year here.”

How Overshown could provide Parsons-like impact for Dallas’ defense

Dallas’ defense hasn’t been nearly as productive pressuring opposing quarterbacks, sacking opposing quarterbacks or in any defensive metric across the board than they have been in years past with All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons being traded away to the Green Bay Packers. The 2025 Cowboys defense under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus ranks bottom five in the NFL in multiple defensive metrics including being dead last in total defense (401.6 total yards per game allowed), pass defense (260.3 passing yards per game allowed) and third down defense (51.6% third down conversion rate allowed). 

It’s not entirely surprising given the Cowboys defense had the NFL’s highest expected points added (EPA) per play when Parsons was on the field (0.08) from 2021-2024 and the NFL’s lowest EPA per play when Parsons was off the field (-0.04) in the same span, per CBS Sports Research.

However, the Cowboys could see a noticeable uptick in production with his electrifying athleticism back on the field. In Week 1 of the 2024 season at the Cleveland Browns, Overshown’s first game back after his first ACL tear, he exploded to sack quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2.8 seconds and beat Parsons to the spot. That blew the All-Pro’s mind and had him declaring big things about Overshown’s future, saying he would become an All-Pro like him. 

“I don’t even know what happened,” Parsons said last season. “I’m going to tell you. I was like, ‘Bro, you’re gonna have people who think you’re faster than me now.’ I say, ‘I can’t take any more breaks. That’s what those fresh legs are getting you.’ He’s [Overshown] so fast. He’s explosive, though. I told him after the game how proud I was of him. … He’s coming downhill with intent with everything. He’s one of the most exciting players that I’ve seen. I think he’s going to be an All-Pro player.”

Seeing what Overshown can be as a pass rusher, there’s already a tried and true method for him to join Parsons in the All-Pro ranks. Like Overshown, Parsons began his career playing primarily out of the inside linebacker spot, 55.2% of his snaps as a rookie according to Pro Football Focus. 

*Data according to Pro Football Focus

If Dallas were to ease Overshown into playing more as an edge rusher along the line of scrimmage, there’s a chance that type of positional switch could lead to similar results to Parsons’ given both have elite athleticism. Overshown also has enough knowledge of Eberflus’ playbook after attaching himself at the hip to the DC and taking charge in team meetings. It’s a change the Cowboys’ edge rusher group needs: Dallas’ top two leaders in quarterback pressures through seven weeks are their two defensive tackles, Kenny Clark (23) and Osa Odighizuwa (20).

“I’m just going to do what I know I can do. When I get in between those lines, the sky’s the limit for me. I’m not saying that to be cocky or anything, but I know what I bring to the field,” Overshown said. “Hearing things and seeing like, ‘Oh, we need D-Mo to be this when he comes back,’ or ‘We need D-Mo to do this,’ I am not worried about [that]. I know what I bring to the table. I know what y’all saw last year and I know y’all going to get more of that. So it’s really no stress and no pressure on me to go back out and do anything. I know what I’m capable of. Last year was still me just getting my feet wet, so still really [we] haven’t seen what all I can do.”