FRISCO, Texas — Multiple NFL executives listed DeMarvion Overshown‘s health as a key variable for the Dallas Cowboys defense in a preseason NFC poll published Wednesday by Mike Sando of The Athletic.
Sando polled six executives, who ranked all 16 NFC teams under the condition of anonymity. Dallas finished fourth, behind the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and Philadelphia Eagles, with votes of second, third, fourth, fourth, fifth, and eighth.
Over three seasons, Overshown has played 19 games. Dallas drafted him in the third round, 90th overall, out of Texas in 2023, and he tore his ACL in the second preseason game of his rookie year. In 2024, he played 13 games and started 12 before tearing his ACL, MCL, and PCL in Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Last season, Overshown missed the first nine games while recovering from that injury. He returned in Week 11, played 6 games, and had 28 tackles. A concussion kept him out of the final two games.
Sando wrote that Overshown’s health was a variable multiple voters highlighted.
“I have defensive concerns, for sure,” one executive said. “Do they have enough pass rush? How healthy is Overshown? How good are the corners? But they did address the interior with Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, and I like Caleb Downs. They will be better up the middle.”
Dallas Cowboys Defense Enters 2026 With New Pieces Around DeMarvion Overshown
Quinnen Williams made his fourth Pro Bowl in 2025 after Dallas acquired him from the New York Jets in November. Kenny Clark arrived from Green Bay in the Aug. 28, 2025, trade that sent Micah Parsons to the Packers. Caleb Downs was the No. 11 overall pick in April out of Ohio State.
Dallas ranked 32nd in EPA per play on defense last season, according to TruMedia data cited by Sando. The Cowboys allowed 511 points, the most in franchise history. Christian Parker, 34, replaced Matt Eberflus as coordinator in January.
“I like the coordinator,” the voter who ranked Dallas fifth said of Parker. “He is going to help maximize what they have. The secondary is still not a strength, but they have an impressive front seven.”
Three of the six executives placed Dallas in the Super Bowl contender tier. The other three listed the Cowboys as a division contender.
“Quinnen Williams is good, and they have a little more girth up front, so it should be better, but they’ve got some unknowns there too with coaches and philosophy,” the voter who ranked Dallas eighth said.
DeMarvion Overshown’s Camp And Contract Status
During training camp in Oxnard, Overshown sat out a padded practice in early August with leg soreness. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer described the soreness as minor, and Overshown returned to practice two days later, according to the team’s website. Earlier in the offseason program, he carried no injury designation, Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News reported.
Overshown is in the final year of his rookie contract. For his career, he has 118 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 defensive touchdown.
Dallas opens the season Sunday, Sept. 13, at the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
