The linebacker room has been a fun topic at Dallas Cowboys training camp recently. With two veteran free agents joining the team, second-year stud Marist Liufau dominating the first quarter of the preseason opener, and uplifting words from linebacker-guru and new coordinator Matt Eberflus, things are looking promising for this unit.
This is all without perhaps Dallas’ best linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in action, but there is good news on that front too.
“Agent Zero” is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in the Cowboys’ Week 14 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Before packing things up at camp, Overshown sat down with Gregg Rosenthal on the NFL Daily podcast to talk about his rehab.
“To be honest, [the recovery] couldn’t be any better,” Overshown said. “If it was any better, I’d probably be playing right now.”
These remarks will give Cowboys Nation goosebumps envisioning the quick return of such a dynamic athlete. Overshown may be Dallas’ most exciting young defender to watch since Micah Parsons burst onto the scene four years ago.
Overshown was drafted two years after Parsons in 2023, but sadly the Texas Ex hasn’t been able to stay on the field for very long. He first injured his knee in training camp as a rookie and sat out the whole year.
Admirably, “D-Mo” has displayed unwavering positivity while rehabbing in Oxnard after facing another difficult obstacle in his young career. He’s been seen regularly cheering on his teammates and contributing to the culture of togetherness under new coach Brian Schottenheimer.
He’s also stacking good days of training, which is a great sign for a potential ahead-of-schedule return.
“To say I’m almost eight months out [post-op] and doing the things I’m doing as far as the linebacker drills, running full speed, cutting and stuff … I know a lot of people who’s been through something like that. They know that once you get to that stage point, it’s like ‘Okay, you’re getting more so football ready,'” Overshown said.
“The fact that I’m at that point … I can see the light at the tunnel, so I know I’m close. Like I said, the rehab couldn’t be any better.”
Overshown will start the season on the PUP list, making Week 5 his absolute earliest chance to return to the field, but that still feels a little too early. Prior to camp, he flirted with Dallas’ Week 13 Thanksgiving game against the Kansas City Chiefs as a potential target.
Up until his injury last season, Overshown showcased star potential with 90 tackles, five sacks, one forced fumble and recovery and an interception returned for a touchdown.
We’ll see how Kenneth Murray Jr., Jack Sanborn, Damone Clark and Liufau hold down the fort, but once Overshown is cleared, he’s got a spot in the starting lineup waiting for him.
That may come sooner than we think if his rehab is going as well as it sounds.
