FRISCO, Texas -- At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis back in February, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones said that if DeMarvion Overshown was able to put together a full season, it would "be a great season." The 2026 season is a contract year for Overshown, and the only "question mark" for Jones and the Cowboys is his availability.
As for Overshown's approach, it's no different than that of his previous years in the NFL.
"It's football for me," Overshown said at the Cowboys' charity home run derby last Thursday. "Contract year or not, I have to come out here and play my best. I was going to go out there and ball regardless. That's for other people to really figure out, I'm going to go do my part, make sure I'm on the field for 17-plus [games] and the money will take care of itself."
In his rookie season in 2023, Overshown tore his ACL during Dallas' second preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. In 2024, Overshown tore his ACL, MCL and PCL in Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals. There's been a lot of rehabilitation on his plate early in his career, much of which has gone on in the offseason.
This time around though, Overshown went into the offseason healthy after being activated in Week 11 of the 2025 season and playing six games, posting 28 tackles.
"It's been great. It's been the biggest blessing I can ask for," Overshown said. "I feel like everybody knows when I'm healthy, I'm one of the best linebackers in the league. That's not to toot my own horn, but the film and the stats speaks for itself when I'm on the field."
Views of the Dallas Cowboys from the Reliant Home Run Derby at Dr Pepper Ballpark home of the Frisco Rough Riders in Frisco, Texas.
"Being healthy is the number one way to stay on the field and be able to do what I do. So the fact that I get to go through this full offseason as a healthy man and coming into training camp healthy, I feel like people haven't seen my best yet, so I know it's going to be one of my best years."
Going into his fourth season, Overshown will have his fourth different defensive coordinator in Christian Parker and third different position coach in Scott Symons. In Overshown's early time in the meeting room and at practice with both, he's confident in the vision that Parker has for Dallas' defense.
"You're excited for football already when you're in the meeting rooms and going through certain stuff on the field and see the scheme actually playing out in real life time and just knowing, 'Okay, this is what's going to help us win the Super Bowl,'" Overshown said. "How [Parker] explains the calls, how he goes into depth on the reasons why we're doing everything… he comes to work, ready to work every day."
