Cowboys Face $24M On Linebacker Who Tore 3 Ligaments, Injured 3 Seasons Straight

Some reports this offseason have floated a potential three-year, $24 million contract in free agency (an average annual value of $8 million), though the figure remains unconfirmed by the team or Overshown’s representatives. That figure would represent a dramatic leap from his current four-year, $5.39 million rookie contract, which carries a 2026 cap hit of just $1.705 million. However, the Cowboys have not offered any extension, and the team’s front office has not moved toward one, signaling a clear wait-and-see approach.

Jones Lays Down the Law

Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones addressed Overshown’s situation directly at the NFL Scouting Combine this week. “The biggest thing is availability,” Jones told reporters. “Certainly, no one wants to play the game more than him, I can assure you of that. But he needs to put together a full season, and if he does, I think it’s going to be a great season. The only question mark he has is his injury issues and getting through a full year.” Jones’s comments made the franchise’s position unmistakably clear.

Elite Production When Available

When healthy, Overshown is a legitimate difference-maker at the NFL level. In the 2024 season, across 13 games (12 starts), he recorded 90 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 5 quarterback hits. He also delivered a pick-six, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and four passes defended, a remarkable stat line for a player making his NFL debut. His production so impressed NFL coaches, scouts, and executives that ESPN’s 2025 survey of league personnel ranked him the 8th-best off-ball linebacker in the entire NFL, despite having played fewer than 15 career games, hinting at Pro Bowl potential waiting to be fully realized.

A Career Defined by Cruel Timing

Overshown’s NFL journey began with misfortune before it even started. Selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas, he tore his ACL during preseason, wiping out his entire rookie season before playing a single regular-season snap. He returned for 2024, delivered an electric performance, and then suffered an ACL tear compounded by MCL and PCL damage in Week 14, ending his year early. After missing the first 10 games of 2025 while rehabbing that injury, he returned in Week 11 and played six games before a concussion in Week 16 ended his season for the third consecutive year.

Overshown Speaks: ‘I Can Be Way Better’

Following his 2025 return, Overshown addressed his performance with striking self-awareness. Speaking to reporters after his first game back, 343 days after his triple-ligament tear, he was candid about falling short of his own standards, saying simply: “I can be way better.” The 25-year-old’s mental resilience remains firmly intact, even as his body has repeatedly been pushed to its limits.

The Rookie Deal Reality

Overshown signed a four-year, $5.39 million rookie contract in 2023, including a signing bonus and $920,020 in guaranteed money. In 2026, his final contract year, he will earn a base salary of $1.485 million with a total cap hit of $1.705 million, an extraordinarily low figure for a player with his on-field impact. If the Cowboys do not extend him before the season ends, he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027, entering the open market entirely on the strength of his 2026 performance.

Cowboys’ Linebacker Corps Under Pressure

Dallas enters 2026 with significant uncertainty at the linebacker position beyond Overshown. Veterans Logan Wilson and Jack Sanborn are both expected to depart, while younger players Marist Liufau and second-year standout Shemar James remain works in progress. Blogging the Boys noted that “the current linebacker unit lacks reliability,” with Dallas urgently needing at least one player capable of delivering 15 to 17 consistent games. Names like Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean have already emerged as priority free-agent targets to stabilize the position this offseason.

Projection vs. Reality

The circulating $24 million projection reflects Overshown’s ceiling, not his current floor. At $8 million annually, such a deal would place him among the upper tier of NFL inside linebackers. However, beat reporters covering Dallas have described the figure as speculative and unconfirmed by the team or Overshown’s representatives. With the Cowboys deliberately holding off on any extension discussions until he proves durability across a full season, no deal is realistically expected before the conclusion of the 2026 regular season at the absolute earliest.

2026: The Season Everything Changes

Every element of Overshown’s NFL future converges on the 2026 campaign. A full, healthy season would validate the scouts who saw a starter-caliber talent when Dallas selected him and could trigger a contract consistent with the $24 million projection. But another significant setback would cast serious doubt on whether any franchise, including Dallas, invests long-term money in a player who has never completed a full NFL season. For a 25-year-old with elite instincts and a complicated medical file, 2026 is the season that defines everything.

Sources:
“Cowboys Send Clear Message to DeMarvion Overshown Ahead of Make-or-Break Season.” Pro Football Network, February
“Execs, Coaches, Scouts Rank NFL’s Top 10 Off-Ball Linebackers for 2025.” ESPN / Jeremy Fowler, July 2025.
“Cowboys’ DeMarvion Overshown: Done for Week 16 Due to Concussion.” CBS Sports / RotoWire, December 20, 2025.
“Cowboys 2026 Offseason Preview: Linebackers.” Blogging the Boys, February 22, 2026
“DeMarvion Overshown Reflects on First Game Back from Injury: ‘I Can Be Way Better.'” Dallas Cowboys official website, November 19, 2025.