FRISCO, Texas – As each game passes, DeMarvion Overshown just gets better. From his first career pick-six on Thanksgiving to being amongst the leaders on the team in tackles and sacks, the Cowboys are tapping into his rare skill set and it's paying off.
"He's a guy with a lot of speed, physicality, tackles well," Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said of Overshown. "I feel like he continues to get better and better, and the more ways that we can use him the better it is."
In his first season playing after suffering a torn ACL last year, Overshown is second on the team in tackles (84) and sacks (5) and seems to make a new highlight play every week. Zimmer has seen the "wow" plays too, and it's led to a growth in Overshown's role quickly.
"When he first came back, we were trying to get him settled in with one personnel group. He's proven that he's one of the better players that we have…" Zimmer said. "We're trying to use him in as many ways as we can, he's got a unique asset of strength and speed and power."
That's led to Overshown being on the field for most of the game, as he missed just one snap last week in the win over the Giants. Zimmer has always tried to keep players who are used to being on the field the whole game on the field, and with his recent play, you can expect that to continue to be the case.
"You don't want to take a guy like that off the field if you can help it." Zimmer said.
Young players usually benefit from having veterans in the room, and that's been the case with Overshown as he gets to pick the brain of Eric Kendricks, who spent seven seasons playing in Zimmer's system during their time together with the Minnesota Vikings.
"I think having [Eric] Kendricks in there has helped him as well," Zimmer said. "He continues to grow each week and I think he'll continue to do that with the more experience that he gets and the different types of offenses that he sees, I think he'll continue to grow."
The next offense that Overshown and the Cowboys will face is one of the best in the league statistically, as the Cincinnati Bengals average the fifth most points in the league (27.9) despite their 4-8 record. The Bengals have the NFL's leading passer in Joe Burrow (3,337 yards) and leading receiver in Ja'Marr Chase (1,142 yards), which will pose a challenge to Overshown and the rest of the Dallas defense.
