Overshown is following a worrying path.
DeMarvion Overshown has easily been the Dallas Cowboys best defensive player so far this season.
After missing his rookie season due to a torn ACL, Overshown made up for lost time with a quick start to his sophomore season.
The second round pick out of Texas flew out of the blocks with standout plays from Week 1 and continued to do so even when the Cowboys defense was being systematically picked apart week after week.
Overshown’s highlight moment came on Thanksgiving with a tip and interception which he returned to the house for a touchdown.
Sadly, 10 days later Overshown’s season ended after going down hurt in the Cowboys game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Overshown suffered a torn ACL, MCL and PCL. The reaction of his fellow Cowboys defenders told the story as they knew their colleague suffered a catastrophic injury.
That is two severe knee injuries in less than 18 months for Overshown, and due to the dynamic and explosive nature of his play I can not help but think this is going to seriously limit him in the future.
On hearing the news of the significance of the injury, it reminded me of a recent trio of talented linebackers the Cowboys have had that have all suffered similar fates.
Sean Lee
Also a second-round draft pick, Lee constantly battled injuries during his 11 years with the Cowboys.
A true difference maker when on the field, Lee was a linebacker that could do it all.
Have influence in the run game, be a factor in pass defence and even pop up and rush the passer when the time called for it. It felt like Lee played hurt in all 118 of his appearance for the Cowboys.
Missing 33% of regular season games through injury, the difference with not having Lee on the field.
Despite his struggles Lee managed back-to-back Pro Bowl selections and was named All-Pro in 2016 before retiring in 2021.
Jaylon Smith
Another second-round draft pick, Smith suffered a catastrophic knee injury in his final college football game for Notre Dame and required surgery to regenerate a nerve in his knee.
Widely considered a top five talent for the 2016 draft before the injury, the Cowboys decided to take a chance and spend the 34th overall pick on Smith.
Smith was a bit part player in 2017 before becoming a starter in 2018. Across 2018 and 2019 Smith showed why the high draft pick and patience shown in him was worth it.
Smith could take over games and tear up opposing offences gameplans, a threat that had to be accounted for on every play.
Unfortunately, Smith’s body started to give out by 2020, and Smith was released from the Cowboys after four games in 2021. Another story of what might have been.
Leighton Vander Esch
Leighton Vander Esch, this time a first-round draft pick out of Boise State in 2018, had to call it a career after just six seasons in the NFL due to persistent neck injuries.
Vander Esch first suffered with neck issues during his sophomore in college and from his second year in the NFL they just never went away.
A true tone setter on defence, Vander Esch’s strength was in the run game. Punishing runners around the line of scrimmage, the face of a unit that had toughness and grit.
The Cowboys rush defence was a much different proposition with Vander Esch off the field. Vander Esch only managed 71 career games in his six seasons before retiring before the 2024 season.
How the Cowboys could have done with Vander Esch given their struggles defending the run early this season.
A different ending for Overshown?
Three cautionary tales of three tremendous linebackers.
Hopefully the DeMarvion Overshown story ends differently and please let whichever linebacker is next taken by the Cowboys in the draft have much better luck than the four guys about which I have just written.
