FRISCO, Texas — A long and arduous road ahead awaits DeMarvion Overshown, and it'll mark the second time in as many seasons that he'll be forced to make his way through it. The talented young linebacker will undergo surgery to repair multiple torn ligaments in his right knee after suffering the season-ending injury in the Dallas Cowboys' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The devastating news arrives only 16 months after Overshown tore the ACL in his left knee in the preseason ahead of his rookie season.
"DeMarvion is getting ready to have a big surgery in front of him," said head coach Mike McCarthy. "A significant injury. ... His physical and football talent speaks for itself. He's such a bright light. He's got a great, infectious personality — a tough young man. He is definitely going to be missed.
"... The injury was definitely heavy [in the locker room]."
A mostly down season for the Cowboys and their defensive unit was able to enjoy Overshown serving as a lighthouse in the dark, flying out of the gates in Year 2, following a redshirt season in Year 1, wasting no time at all proving he's a Pro Bowl (and, arguably, an All-Pro) caliber talent.
In his first 13 active games as a pro, the former third-round pick delivered five sacks, 90 combined tackles, four pass break ups, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and a pick-six off of that interception.
Statistically, only one other player in NFL history has had equal or greater production at linebacker in his first 13 games who was the same age or younger than is Overshown.
His name is Brian Urlacher, the legendary Hall of Famer of the Chicago Bears.
That is the impact Overshown brought to the field.
"I don't know, at this time, the date on his rehab," said owner and general manager Jerry Jones to 105.3 the Fan on Tuesday. "I just can't tell you how bad I feel for him because he's just been through that the mental and the physical rehab on his other knee, and then to turn around and have to go through that again — it's the toughest time for a player. We all see the loss and know what it's going to mean for us in our remaining four games, but the bottom line is that it's really sad that he's having to have this surgery for him as an individual and obviously us as a team."
It remains unknown if Overshown has any chance whatsoever at taking the field in 2025, given the timing of the injury to his right knee and in how the typical recovery time for a torn ACL is roughly one calendar year — Overshown having torn more than his ACL in Week 14.
"I think that's fair," McCarthy said when asked if Overshown could miss next season. "Given the time of year, in December. You have the surgery and the rehab is a long process. I think that's very realistic."
The situation brought All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to literal tears following the game, telling of what Overshown already means to the Cowboys both as a player on the field and as a brother in the locker room.
"He don't deserve that," Parsons said. "He really don't. So knowing, understanding what he's going to go through, physically and mentally, is just so challenging. He's so talented.
"The year he was having, I mean, I really just don't think that's fair."
