On Thanksgiving, Cowboys’ Overshown living out dream isn’t something he takes for granted
Seventeen years ago, a young DeMarvion Overshown was getting ready to play the biggest game of his life.
His youth team had made the PeeWee Super Bowl 125 miles east of AT&T Stadium in the small East Texas town of Arp. Unsurprisingly, his play on both sides of the ball had shouldered his team to that stage in his first season of playing football.
While the details of what happened on that November afternoon didn’t immediately come to mind for Overshown on Thursday, he remembers clearly what that 7-year-old boy was feeling.
“Think about when you were 7,” Overshown said about his mentality this week. “Think about what that little boy would want out of today every time you step on that field.”
It makes sense. Overshown’s game-wrecking performance during the Cowboys’ 27-20 win over the Giants on Thanksgiving Day was something straight out of a kid’s imagination.
Along with combining for nine tackles, Overshown hauled in the first pick-six of his football career on a second-quarter pass that he tipped to himself on a blitz call from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
“I was really just thinking, ‘Blow up the play,’” he said. “It was a blitz with my number on it, and I knew I had to make an impact play.”
After coming on a blitz off the right edge, Overshown was met with Giants running back Devin Singletary who attempted to chip the second-year linebacker before heading out on his route. He was instead knocked completely off balance by a full-speed Overshown.
“When the running back let me loose, I knew some BS was going on.”
Giants quarterback Drew Lock tried to throw around the oncoming pressure, but Overshown instead got a hand on the ball, batting it in the air.
“I knew it was my play to make,” he said. “I was fast enough to get to the tip and it was my first interception. As soon as I got the ball, I knew I was scoring.”
What a difference a year makes. Similar to his childhood memories, Overshown remembers exactly what he was feeling this time last year.
After shining in training camp as a rookie third-round pick ahead of the 2023 season, Overshown tore his ACL on a routine tackle in a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. His rookie season was immediately over.
For a player who grew up rooting for the Cowboys and having their games on in the foreground of his family Thanksgivings back in East Texas, missing his first opportunity to play in one still stings.
“Just before the game, I was telling myself that around this time last year, I was just waiting to show people my testimony of when I get back on the field,” he said. “I’m going to show what God put into me. Just being out there on the field healthy is all I can ask for. I wouldn’t ask to be nowhere else.”
“Playing for the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
In that 2023 game, he watched at home as his defensive teammates overwhelmed a divisional opponent with pressure and takeaways. One year later, he helped establish momentum for good for his team with his second takeaway on a fumble recovery in the third quarter forced by fellow linebacker Eric Kendricks.
“That was a play we really needed,” he said. “It was crucial coming out of halftime. [Kendricks] made a play, and I was there for my brother to clean it up and make it a better play.”
When he got up from his recovery, he immediately bolted for the sparkling red Salvation Army kettles. On a night where the charity foundation set a stadium record for donations, Overshown dunking the football in one of the kettles behind the west endzone stamped an already gracious day.
“I knew something had to get in the kettle, either me or the ball,” he said. “M.J. just came to mind and I just did my slam dunk. It was nice, I’ve always wanted to do that.”
In his first season playing in the NFL, Overshown has found himself doing a lot of things he’s always wanted to do. Playing for the Cowboys. Accounting for five sacks. Hauling in his first pick-six. Becoming a fan favorite.
On a day where blessings are counted, Overshown is running out of fingers to count them on. When he departs AT&T Stadium on Thursday night, he will make the two-hour trip to his hometown where family and friends will be eagerly waiting. When he walks in, he’ll hand his mother his jersey. He’ll hand his son his first NFL interception.
“Knowing what I’m doing and having a bunch of smiles at home waiting for me, I’m thankful for this opportunity,” he said. “I’m just overjoyed right now.”
This story was originally published November 28, 2024 at 10:04 PM.
