Today marks one week from the Dallas-Philadelphia season opener in Week 1. If you watched the game at all, the absence of one injured Cowboy was way too apparent.
Dallas’s linebackers struggled mightily against the Eagles, especially starter Kenneth Murray. Their best performing linebacker, second-year man Marist Liufau, was given just a few plays to leave his mark.
We can’t leave out Jack Sanborn and Damone Clark, who also had a major role in Jalen Hurts running for free yards multiple times on each drive.
The solution to this problem may be waiting in the wings, however.
DeMarvion Overshown’s Long Build-Up To 2025
“Agent 0,” as he’s known to fans, could revive the Cowboys’ defense when he returns.
DeMarvion Overshown came to Dallas as an impossibly athletic and explosive playmaker. In the three years since, he’s seen two major knee injuries, and one of the most exciting runs a Cowboys linebacker has ever had.
When the former Texas Longhorn returned from his rookie season ACL tear, he set the NFL world on fire.
Overshown finishes 2024 with 90 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 passes defended, an interception, and a touchdown.
The only player younger than Overshown to replicate that stat line through his team's first 13 games is Brian Urlacher. pic.twitter.com/HkTbZ3LwdU
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) December 10, 2024
90 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, five quarterback hits, four passes defensed, and one of the most spectacular pick-sixes you’ll ever see.
Did I mention he accumulated all of those stats in a mere 13 games? If you project those numbers to a full season, we are talking about an All-Pro, or even a Defensive Player of the Year campaign.
When he went down with his ACL, MCL, and PCL tear last season, the defense went down with him, and they are missing him badly once again.
2025 Could Become DeMarvion Overshown’s Year
The second half of the game against the Eagles showed Dallas’s defensive potential. DeMarvion Overshown is the guy who could elevate potential into production.
Following the weather delay, the Cowboys’ pass defense was revitalized, and the run defense remained strong. We saw flashes from guys like Marshawn Kneeland and consistent play from vets like Kenny Clark and Trevon Diggs.
If you add Overshown to the mix, and he plays to his talent level, we’re talking about a defense that doesn’t need time to warm up.
His immediate impact on pass coverage, pass rush, and run defense upgrades the entire unit. If he returns healthy, and Dallas doesn’t fall apart with other injuries, we could be talking about a top-10 defense.
Fans should be watching Overshown’s recovery and return timeline like hawks. He might just be the missing link for the Cowboys’ 2025 chances.
Diggs’ run defense grade on PFF was 30.1 against the Eagles. Pass defense was exceptional, but that is hardly “consistent “.
His run defense wasn’t good, but his coverage was way better than exceptional!! He locked down his receiver every time he was on the field!! There are some reports saying he gave up 1 reception for 9 yards, but then there’s others saying he didn’t give up any receptions and then there’s some saying he wasn’t even targeted when he was on the field!! Any way you look at it, he was way better than “exceptional”!! And having those stats for a whole game is consistent to me!! And that was just week one!! That’s him playing his first game of the year with minimal practice with the team, if any at all, so he’s only gonna get better as the season goes on!!
We could really use Overshown, but if he’s able to make it back this season, it’ll be too late!! His goal is Thanksgiving, and that’s almost at the end of the season!! There’s only a few games left in the season by that time!! So when he comes back he will make our team a lot better, but it’ll be too late by the time he gets back!! And with the way we played in the 2nd half of week 1, I can’t say that we’re not a top 10 defense already!! If we’re not, we’re not far off from it!!
Aren’t the Cowboys a bit too high on Overshown’s return? Coming off those two serious knee injuries will be a tricky proposition unless he recovers well enough like a former Cowboy Jaylen Smith who took two years to return to professional football from a devastating knee injury. Smith ultimately worked very hard to rehab that knee to reclaim his outside linebacking job.