The Dallas Cowboys left Week 1 with more than just a loss to the New York Giants. They also walked away with two more injury worries, and both hit the defense where it already looked vulnerable.
Safety Malik Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown were both forced out in the second half, leaving Dallas to sort through the fallout after a rough Sunday night.
Overshown’s issue came in the fourth quarter, when he suffered a hamstring injury after tripping over a Giants player on a running play. He was hobbled, but he did make it off the field under his own power. That only adds to the frustration around a player who has already dealt with major injuries during his career.
After the game, Brian Schottenheimer said he didn’t have a severity update and that more testing would come Monday. As Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote, "The team does not yet know the severity of Cowboys LB DeMarvion Overshown’s hamstring injury," Should know more after testing tomorrow.
If Overshown has to miss time, rookie Jaishawn Barham would be in line for a starting job, while Shemar James would likely see a bigger role. Dallas also has Justin Barron and Curtis Robinson on the practice squad as depth options. The Cowboys could also look outside the building, with Bobby Wagner still on the open market.
Hooker’s exit came later in the fourth quarter, when he left with a forearm injury and did not return. He was seen going to the locker room after being checked on the sideline, and Schottenheimer said afterward that Hooker might have fractured his forearm, which would point to a longer absence.
"Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said safety Malik Hooker might have fractured his forearm," The Athletic's Jon Machota wrote.
Hooker had been lined up at safety alongside Jalen Thompson, with Caleb Downs in the slot. If Hooker is out, Dallas is expected to turn to P.J.
Locke in his place, while Markquese Bell or Alijah Clark could see their workloads increase. A move at safety also wouldn’t be a surprise.
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Lincoln Riley Just Added A Defensive Name Oklahoma Fans Know Too Well
Gary Patterson is back in familiar territory after a three-year break from coaching defense, and it is a return that will naturally catch the attention of anyone who followed TCU during his run in Fort Worth. The newly elected Hall of Fame coach stepped away after leaving the Horned Frogs in 2021, then spent time as a special assistant at Texas and a consultant at Baylor before resurfacing on the defensive side of the ball once again.
Now he has been offered a defensive coordinator role at USC, where Lincoln Riley is the head coach and has been complimentary of Pattersons work on that side of the game. For TCU fans, it is another reminder of how closely Patterson remains tied to the sports bigger coaching circles, even after his long chapter in Fort Worth ended and his next move looked, for a while, like it might stay off the sideline. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Just Got An Early Warning About The Big 12 Grind
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For TCU, the lesson is less about any one box score and more about what the schedule tends to expose over time. Depth, player development and the ability to keep improving after kickoff are going to matter as the season moves along, because the Big 12 rarely gives teams the same game twice. The Horned Frogs will have to be ready for that kind of grind, where one weekend tests the offense, another tests the defense and the next one tests whether the roster can hold up when the league starts to pile on. [Read more 🡒]