Amid a disappointing 2024 season, a bright spot emerged for the Dallas Cowboys in linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.
The rangy linebacker piled up 90 tackles in his first full season following an ACL tear suffered in his rookie year, providing Cowboys fans with a reason to believe they had another playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. Simply, Overshown looked like a legitimate dude before his sophomore campaign ended due to another knee injury.
That injury has placed Overshown on a familiar road back to the field, a journey that will not reach its conclusion quickly. When it does, though, Overshown has one goal: Play well enough to earn league-wide attention in 2025.
"The future's looking good, let me tell you that," Overshown said Thursday during an appearance on 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.
"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. You're going to see me -- exactly what you've just seen on that clip -- doing those same things."
Overshown has reason to feel confident. He's already overcome a significant injury and proven he can produce at a high level in his NFL career, following up another knee injury suffered during his time at Texas. If anything, he's been here before.
The timing of Overshown's latest knee injury -- which he suffered in December -- means he might not be ready to play right away in 2025. Fortunately, Dallas expects to have all-world edge rusher Micah Parsons available at that time, despite the fact he still hasn't received a contract extension.
Parsons has become the main topic regarding the Cowboys and their future planning. Owner Jerry Jones stressed patience regarding Parsons' contract earlier this week, which doesn't exactly alleviate concerns.
Overshown attempted to quell the worry on Thursday.
"What I want people to know about Micah Parsons is he's a team-first guy. He wants to do what's best for the team," Overshown said. "He wants to win. You see just looking at the tape, you're in the NFL and you've got three men blocking one person. That means he's a monster, he's just not another person on the field.
"Everything that he's asking for, it's really just earned and what he deserves. How much he pours into this team, he keeps his brothers going. You can immediately tell when 11 (Parsons) is on the field with everybody. I'm looking forward to playing with him for years to come."
Overshown is clearly an optimistic and aspirational individual. It's the only way to approach a career that has encountered multiple health setbacks. If history serves him right, he'll make good on his promise.
Cowboys fans will hope they can say the same about Parsons.
