FRISCO — When the Dallas Cowboys took the field for their Week 14 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, most fans had already soured on a disappointing 2024.
Dallas’ offseason certainly did not set them up for much success. Nonetheless, the belief persisted that a team that had won 12 games each of the last three seasons would pull through.
Staring at a 5-7 record at the time and having lost Dak Prescott for the season, the Cowboys seemingly could not flounder any more. That would change in an instant when linebacker DeMarvion Overshown went down with what turned out to be a tear of his ACL, MCL and PCL.
Overshown had proven the lone glimmer of hope in a dull, fruitless season at The Star. Shot out of a cannon both in his play style and in the matter of his breakout campaign, Overshown’s second season was ripped from his grasp, much like his first that ended in the preseason also due to a knee injury.
Faced with such a dark reality, this sequence of events has instead ignited a flame under him, still burning bright with passion and unwavering in confidence.
“The future’s looking good, let me tell you that,” Overshown said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. “Just how I came off of last year, I’m 100% positive. I have my sights set high. Not only do I want to be nominated for the Comeback Player of the Year, but I’m going to be the Comeback Player of the Year.”
Those are lofty goals considering his long road through recovery without a guaranteed payoff at the end of his trek. That has not stopped him from embracing that journey, again with confidence on his side.
“I’m that confident, I feel, with how I’m just going to step back on the field, and you’re not gonna see no drop-off.”
That is certainly the hope for Cowboys Nation. While defensive star Micah Parsons deserves plenty of acclaim for the role he plays on this defense, he cannot carry this unit along.
When Parsons missed his own time last season nursing an injury, Overshown took on some of the burden and became a difference maker in his first true season on the field. Dallas saw an overall improvement at the linebacker position in 2024 and much of that turnaround had to do with him.
The Cowboys’ defense takes on an entirely new identity with Overshown lined up in the middle. Assuming his estimated recovery timeline remains unchanged, his presence will be missed in the early stages of the upcoming regular season.
But when he is cleared for action, the Cowboys and Overshown alike will be hopeful that he can deliver on his plans for 2025.
