FRISCO, Texas — Donovan Ezeiruaku said Wednesday that DeMarvion Overshown belongs in the middle of the Dallas Cowboys defense, calling the plays.
Ezeiruaku’s wish for the unit is that everyone on it stays available.
“It’ll be good. He’s exactly where he’s supposed to be,” Ezeiruaku said. “So I’m excited for it.”
Overshown wears the green dot in Christian Parker’s defense and plays the MIKE, a role he has not held before in the NFL. The green dot marks the player who relays the coordinator’s calls to the other 10 defenders on the field.
Parker tested him on the first day of training camp in Oxnard by pretending the communication system had failed. Brian Schottenheimer described the setup the next morning and said Overshown got the defense into the call the staff wanted.
Ezeiruaku’s answer widened past Overshown on its own.
“Yeah, I’m excited for him, but I’m also excited for his whole unit. His new faces are all around the board on the defensive side, so I think DeMo’s a hell of a player,” Ezeiruaku explained. “I think he’s going to showcase his talents. And I pray he stays healthy. I pray we all stay healthy and we have a really good season.”
Overshown tore an ACL in the preseason of his rookie year and missed all of 2023. He tore the ACL, MCL, and PCL in his other knee against Cincinnati in December 2024. He played 6 games last season with 5 starts and finished with 28 tackles.
This is the first fully healthy offseason of his professional career, and the final year of his rookie contract.
Donovan Ezeiruaku On Christian Parker’s New Cowboys Unit
Sunday is the first regular season snap of the scheme.
“Yeah, there’s definitely excitement. For me, I would say there’s a bit of like a little anxious. But not like a nervous, anxious type of thing,” Ezeiruaku said. “But more so just like I want to see what this unit is going to look like. And I think it’ll be all that we expected to be.”
Dallas allowed 511 points in 2025, the most in the league, along with 4,276 passing yards, also the most. The Cowboys forced 12 turnovers, 30th in the NFL, and intercepted 6 passes all season.
Parker replaced Matt Eberflus and moved the front to a 3-4. Dallas traded for Rashan Gary, signed Von Miller, and used first-round picks on edge rusher Malachi Lawrence and safety Caleb Downs.
Downs, Shemar James, and Curtis Robinson have all taken green dot reps behind Overshown.
Donovan Ezeiruaku On Playing In Front Of A MetLife Crowd
Sunday night at MetLife Stadium will be a road opener in prime time against a division opponent.
“I don’t really hear much, honestly. But that’s just because I’m so tunnel vision, so I’m kind of focused on the game,” Ezeiruaku added. “I’m not really worried about the fans.”
Ezeiruaku played all 17 games as a rookie with 9 starts and logged 569 snaps, the most of any edge defender returning to the roster.
Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on NBC.
