The Cowboys’ defense has spent most of the first six weeks in the spotlight, and not for anything flattering. Injuries have piled up, the production has slipped, and Christian Parker’s group has had a rough go of it while Dallas keeps searching for answers.
Now there’s at least a real chance one of those answers walks back into the lineup on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
DeMarvion Overshown, the former Texas Longhorns standout, has been pushing toward a return for the past couple of weeks. With Dee Winters out after suffering a strained Achilles in the loss to the Green Bay Packers, the linebacker room is thinner than ever, and Overshown could give the unit a badly needed lift.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked about the possibility of Overshown returning for the primetime matchup and said, "We'll see how D-Mo works back into practice this week, but we're hoping he returns this week."
Overshown made it sound like that hope is headed toward reality.
On Tuesday, when asked if he would be in position to play against the Eagles, he said, "I definitely feel that, that's the plan," he said. "I'm ready for practice, it's crazy, we play on Monday now, so now I got to wait an extra day.
But I'm excited. I've definitely taken this rehab, this recovery very serious.
I've been trying to get back on the field since the week after I got out.
"So, getting this opportunity to go this week, I'm thankful that I'm still able to get to do what I love."
Availability has been the sticking point for Overshown since Dallas drafted him in the third round after his time in Austin. Knee injuries have slowed him before, and now a hamstring injury has added to the frustration.
The talent has never really been the question. The problem has been getting him on the field long enough to show it.
That’s why this return matters. The Cowboys know what Overshown can be.
They just haven’t seen it consistently in years. If he’s truly back on Monday night, Dallas gets a shot at seeing the best version of Agent Zero when it needs him most.
In Other News...
Texas Still Has One Frustrating Question After That Gators Field Incident
Texas had plenty to feel good about after the Florida game, but one awkward postgame scene has lingered. A fan was identified and permanently banned from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium after he flipped off Gators players on the field, a move that quickly pulled the spotlight away from the scoreboard and onto how a spectator ended up in that spot in the first place.
Athletic director Chris Del Conte said the fan is a local college student attending a Florida school other than the University of Florida, but he also said he does not know who authorized the field access. That unanswered question has become the one many Texas fans keep circling back to, because the ban closes one door while leaving the bigger issue of how the situation was allowed to happen very much open. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Defense Has A New Problem Fans Wont Like
Texas slide in the AP poll has been bad enough on its own, but the bigger concern for Longhorns fans is how opponents are finding answers against that defense. The losses to unranked teams, including the home setback against Florida, have put plenty of pressure on a unit that was supposed to be a strength, and the tape is not making the picture any prettier.
Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner helped back up quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. with boot-action looks that kept Texas off balance, while the Gators run game and play-action game opened up room the Longhorns struggled to close. For Texas, the issue is no longer just a bad result or two. It is the way teams are creating easy, repeatable stress points, and that is the kind of problem that tends to linger until it gets fixed. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Be Missing Its Biggest Defensive Difference Maker
Texas is likely to be without one of its most disruptive defenders when Ole Miss comes to Austin, as edge rusher Colin Simmons has been listed as doubtful because of the right-leg injury he picked up against Florida. Steve Sarkisian confirmed Simmons hurt his right knee, and the early read on the injury points to a high-ankle sprain that could keep him sidelined for the next few weeks.
That is a significant hit for a Longhorns defense that has leaned on Simmons' ability to change games off the edge. He already sits third on Texas' all-time sack leaderboard and had been chasing the program's single-season sack record, which makes his absence more than just a lineup tweak as the Longhorns prepare for a key SEC matchup. [Read more 🡒]