DeMarvion Overshown keeps landing in the same spot for the Cowboys: the player everybody wants to see finally turn promise into production. ESPN’s Ben Solak put him there again, naming the Dallas linebacker as the team’s breakout candidate, and the fit makes sense with a new defensive setup and a fresh start under Christian Parker.
Overshown’s story has been defined by what has gone wrong. The Texas product tore his ACL in the preseason of his rookie year, and since then the injuries have piled up - ACL, MCL and PCL issues that have made it hard to get a true read on what he can be. Dallas has a much better defense after a horrendous 2025 season, but for Overshown, the bigger question has always been whether he can stay on the field long enough to show the talent that made him such a tempting name in the first place.
Solak pointed to how uneven things looked after Overshown returned in Week 11 last season. As he wrote: "Overshown did not look like himself after returning last season in Week 11 -- he had only one TFL in six games after posting eight in 13 games during the 2024 season. He cleared 19 mph in top speed seven separate times in the 2024 season, per NFL Next Gen Stats; he never cleared it in 2025."
That’s the heart of the case for why Overshown belongs on this list. The tools are obvious.
The speed is obvious. The tackling is obvious.
What the Cowboys have been waiting on is the version of him that can put all of that together without the injuries getting in the way.
Overshown hasn’t been shy about his own ceiling, either. Earlier this offseason, he told reporters he can be one of the best linebackers in the league. For now, he still has to prove it on the field, but the confidence matches the profile.
In Parker’s 3-4 defense, Overshown is expected to start at inside linebacker, and he’s also in the mix to wear the green dot. That matters. He’s already one of the most tenured defenders on the roster, and that experience has put him in position to be viewed as a leader even while he’s still trying to establish himself.
The depth chart behind him includes Dee Winters, Jaishawn Barham and Shemar James, which only adds to the sense that Overshown is the veteran of the group. He may still have plenty to prove, but in this room, he’s already the one others are looking to.
The path forward is simple to say and hard to do: stay healthy, stay on the field and let the speed take over. Overshown has the traits. Now he has to make them count.
In Other News...
Former Cowboys Defender Linked To Disturbing New Allegations
Former Cowboys defensive end Marcellus Wiley is back in the news for the wrong reasons, with his name now attached to a Florida domestic violence arrest and a separate set of allegations from his wife, Annemarie, that have pushed the situation well beyond a routine legal dispute. For Dallas fans who remember Wiley from his time on the edge, the story has taken on a deeply personal and unsettling tone as it moves from an alleged hotel altercation into family court and public accusations.
Annemarie has filed for divorce and sought a restraining order, while Wiley has denied the allegations and said he is focused on protecting their children as the legal process plays out. The case has already become more complicated with the couples family at the center of it, and the next developments are likely to matter as much for the personal fallout as for whatever comes next in court. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Have One Clear Answer To Washingtons Rasul Douglas Move
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One name that keeps surfacing in that conversation is Kenny Moore, the veteran slot corner who was released by Indianapolis in May after the Colts were unable to find a trade partner. Moore has been one of the leagues more reliable nickel defenders for years, with a track record of handling a heavy workload inside and enough versatility to give a defense some flexibility. For Dallas, that kind of profile makes sense as the secondary continues to take shape around a division rivals latest move. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Pass Rush Just Sent A Message Fans Needed To See
A handful of Cowboys defenders are heading to Las Vegas next week for a pass-rush summit that says plenty about where this team wants its edge to come from. Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark are set to join coach Brandon Jordan at the 2026 Sack Summit, a three-day gathering built for NFL rushers to trade technique, ideas and the kind of details that can change a season.
The timing matters, too, with training camp opening July 28 and Dallas still trying to bounce back from a defense that never found enough answers last year. For a unit that needs more disruption up front and better resistance against the run, the trip is less about offseason networking than it is about showing up with a plan, a sharper toolbox and a clearer sense of what the Cowboys need from them once camp begins. [Read more 🡒]