Cowboys need DeMarvion Overshown to avoid bad company in 2026

If the Cowboys’ defense is going to be competitive in 2026, it’s going to need DeMarvion Overshown to finally stay healthy and be a consistent play-making force. In this critical fourth and final year of his contract, Overshown has to avoid becoming another in an unfortunately long line of Dallas linebackers whose careers were limited by health issues.

Overshown has been an exciting, promising talent since he arrived. A third-round pick in 2023, he was getting a lot of positive buzz in training camp and flashed his potential in the early preseason games. But a torn ACL ended his rookie year before it could really begin, pushing his regular-season debut until Week 1 of the following season.

This was when we saw the best of Overshown so far. He was arguably the team’s second-best defender after Micah Parsons, aggressive against the run but also picking up five sacks and making other big plays with his tremendous closing speed. But the tale turned tragic when, after 13 games, Overshown reinjured the same knee to an even greater extent. The effects lingered into 2025 as he recovered, causing him to miss 10 games and not really be a factor once he was activated.

For Cowboys fans, this was all too painfully familiar. From Leighton Vander Esch to Jaylon Smith to DeVonte Holloman to Sean Lee, there’s a sad lineage of talented linebackers whose full potential was never realized due to injuries. At least for three of those guys, they had their moments of being recognized among the top players in the league. But their missed games and shortened careers outweighed the accomplishments, and they’re more remembered for what they could’ve been than what they were.

Unlike Lee, Smith, and Vander Esch, Holloman never got to experience those NFL highs. He was never really expected to as just a sixth-round pick in 2013, but he showed surprising upside as a rookie. But after a neck injury in his second preseason, Holloman was diagnosed with a spinal condition that put him at too much risk to keep playing. He retired immediately, ahead of what many projected would be a breakout season as a potential starter.

But while Holloman’s greatness was only projected, we saw it at times from the others. Vander Esch defied his 2018 draft-day doubters to have a superb rookie season, making the Pro Bowl and even being a Second-Team All-Pro. Even for a first-round pick, he performed well above anyone’s expectations. But it was downhill from there: a neck injury in 2019 and a broken collarbone in 2020 killed his career momentum. He did have one more solid, healthy year in 2021 but was clearly not the same player. The neck issues became chronic in 2022 and 2023, and he retired following that last season.

Dallas knew they were taking a big gamble on Jaylon Smith in 2016, using the 34th-overall pick on him despite a catastrophic knee injury in his final game at Notre Dame. As expected, he sat out his rookie year to rehab and debuted in 2017, playing all 16 games. He fully broke out in 2018, having arguably his best year and being named to the NFL Top 100. He was still very good in 2019, making his first and only Pro Bowl. But things got ugly in 2020 after Mike Nolan changed the defense and Smith’s athleticism took a sharp decline, robbing him of the ability to make plays and make up for mental errors. He was released just a month into the 2021 season.

And then there was Sean Lee. One of the most talented off-ball linebackers in team history, Lee enjoyed some big years as a First-Team All-Pro in 2016 and a two-time Pro Bowler. But those should have been perennial accolades for him, and only injuries kept him from being remembered as an all-time great. In 11 seasons, Lee only played in all 16 games once. He missed 58 games over his career, which included the entire 2014 season and big chunks of five others. That he even hung around so long tells you just how good he was when healthy. But even with some high highs, it’s the injury-induced lows that defined Lee’s career.

Given all this, Cowboys fans are understandably guarded when it comes to faith and enthusiasm regarding DeMarvion Overshown. Naturally, we all want him to finally stop missing games and get back to wrecking them for opposing offenses. And we sure do need it in 2026: Dallas will be hard-pressed to fill all of its defensive needs in just this one offseason. Overshown is one of the few guys who’s shown the potential to be a real difference maker, and they have to get some in-house help on top of whatever outside guys are brought in.

With the move to more 3-4 looks under Christian Parker, Overshown is currently the only inside linebacker with starting potential. Shemar James is too raw and Justin Barron should only be playing special teams next year. Marist Liufau is reportedly being moved to the edge, leaving Overshown as your own real asset at the position. We fully expect Dallas to add at least one significant veteran free agent, but you need at least two ILB starters for this scheme and more for quality depth.

Overshown needs his fourth season to go well as badly as the Cowboys do. His contract will expire and, without more to show, his career to this point may not justify another one. While Lee, Smith, and Vander Esch all got second contracts with Dallas despite health issues, they’d all put more skins on the wall by that point than Overshown has.

Of course, Dallas’ history at the linebacker position has no bearing on what will or won’t happen with DeMarvion Overshown. But we’ve seen too many times how linebackers with ongoing medical issues can’t stop the bleeding, metaphorically speaking. It gives us natural concern as to whether or not Overshown can finally put the bad days behind him, or how effective he’ll be after multiple injuries to the same knee. He’ll certainly every chance to redeem himself in 2026, and all parties involved are hoping for the best.