EXCLUSIVE: Cowboys LB DeMarvion Overshown has been counted out for 2025. He has a different goal in mind.
It’s been just six days since Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown had an 11-hour surgery in California to repair the ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee, but that didn’t stop him from returning to his hometown to give back to his community.
After having money left over from a fundraiser he did earlier in the year for mental health awareness, Overshown and his family decided to use those funds to provide bicycles and Christmas gifts to 20 children at a daycare facility in Tyler.
Families came in and out throughout Monday afternoon to pick up the provided gifts, as Overshown’s family helped direct traffic and pass off the packages. About halfway through, a black Suburban pulled through with Overshown – with a full brace around his right leg – in the backseat. As he came out, a young kid, Braylon Shaw, was overcome with tears and emotion.
“I was surprised,” Shaw said. “He just showed up out of nowhere, out of the blue. This is the best Christmas ever.”
After all of the kids had received their gifts and left the facility, the parking lot was left to just Overshown and his family. The Cowboys linebacker returned from California on Sunday, making it the first time some family members had seen him since he had his knee rolled over in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals last month.
While emotions were certainly on the surface, Overshown’s signature smile and positivity was more influential to the environment.
“I feel great,” Overshown told the Star-Telegram before hopping back in his back Suburban to head back to his home in Dallas. “One thing about me, I want to inspire whether it’s on or off the field. Coming home, especially doing it at home, it feels even more special.”
Despite the recovery ahead for Overshown being the second extensive rehab process he will have dealt with in as many years, his mindset has remained consistent, even if he can’t truly understand the deeper meaning of the adversity in front of him just yet.
“I haven’t figured it out truly,” he said. “Now, I get to lead and show that same determination to get back to where I was after performing. It’s another challenge for me that I’m excited to get. I’m ready to attack this road of recovery. The story when I get back on the field is going to be even greater.”
Overshown said that the doctors were surprised to see how quickly his knee healed in the days following surgery last Tuesday, as the East Texas native gave credit to the prayers his support group had sent his way.
Even though early indications and reports have counted him out for the entirety of the 2025 season, he has a different goal in mind for when he will make his awaited return.
“My goal is to definitely see action by midseason,” he said. “I’m going to be smart about it, but I’m going to be ready by midseason. There’s no question about it.”
In the hours following Overshown’s injury, head coach Mike McCarthy had said that the young defensive star was already asking about how he could attack his recovery before surgery was even scheduled. After a breakout season that saw him account for 90 total tackles, five sacks and a highlight reel pick-six on Thanksgiving Day, it would’ve been easy for Overshown to let the disappointment overcome him.
“I’m excited for what tomorrow will bring,” he said. “When I got off the field, I was truly like, ‘Man, I get another chance.’ I know what I’m dealing with, I’ve been here before. I’m not going to let this be a setback. I know what it takes for this rehab and I know what I’m gonna come back and be.”
All he could do on Sunday night was look on as his Cowboys defensive teammates held the best road scoring offense in the NFL to 24 points in a gritty primetime win despite playoff hopes evaporating earlier in the day. For him, the fight resembles the culture that has been set by head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, both of whom he campaigned to return with him in 2025.
“We’re behind them 100-percent,” Overshown said. “They’re the leaders. I feel like everybody on that roster believes that. McCarthy and Zimmer are guys you want to play for and want to fight for, because they’re doing everything in their power to put us in position to win games.”
It’s too early in the recovery process to speak for complete certainty on when Overshown will return to the field. Whether it happens in 2025 or not, the budding defensive star will be ready to attack the field with the same mindset. Even with adversity stacking against him, he kept a smile throughout the afternoon on Monday.
Before heading home, a reporter asked Overshown what he would tell a kid learning to ride one of the 20 bikes he provided on Tuesday.
“Just go,” he said while looking at one of the boys looking at his new bike. “You’re gonna fall down, but you just gotta get up and keep going. That’s all you can do.”
Take it from someone with experience doing just that, young kid.
This story was originally published December 23, 2024 at 5:28 PM.
