Your Sunday morning Cowboys news.
DeMarvion Overshown provides positive medical update – Charean Williams, PFT
Overshown previously said he hoped to be back by Thanksgiving, it seems like his doctors share at least some of his optimism.
Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown tore the ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee in Week 14, which put his entire 2025 season in jeopardy. Overshown always has had a positive outlook, and it appears the medical staff has given him a positive update.
“Good news from the Doc! We getting active THIS szn,” Overshown wrote on Instagram.
It remains to be seen when that will be.
Overshown will start training camp on active/physically unable to perform and likely will move to reserve/PUP before the season as he continues his rehab into the season.
5 position battles to watch in Cowboys training camp: Who’s starting at strong safety? – Joseph Hoyt, DMN
Hoyt looks at the position battles at RB, DL, CB, S, and TE. Here’s his take on what’s happening at tight end:
At 6-7, Cowboys tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford has a reputation that precedes him. He entered last season as someone the Cowboys, from a physical stance, believed they could count on as a blocker.
Heading into this season, the Cowboys are raising their expectations for him.
“This guy is just not a run blocker and a pass protector. This guy can be a weapon,” Schottenheimer said of Spann-Ford, who had nine catches for 88 yards last season, “because of his size in the middle of the field, matched up on linebackers and safeties.
“He’s another guy that when he puts the pads on you’re going to see on the field.”
We’ll also see if he can take a step above fellow tight end Luke Schoonmaker. The Cowboys have wanted more out of Schoonmaker since they selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft. He had eight catches for 65 yards in his rookie season. Last year, Schoonmaker finished with 27 catches for 241 yards and a touchdown.
Can Schoonmaker take another step? Or will Spann-Ford grow enough in Year 2 to overtake him as the second tight end behind starter Jake Ferguson?
6 players on roster bubble before Cowboys training camp begins includes first-round pick – Mike Crum, Cowboys Wire
Two of the six players that could be on the outs after training camp.
LB Damone Clark
Damone Clark has 24 starts with the Cowboys for two different defensive coordinators, playing over 1,300 defensive snaps and nearly 500 special teams plays. He has never been able to solidify his spot as one of the top guys at the position, however.
Dallas continued to draft players and sign veterans to play ahead of him, and this offseason, they signed Jack Sanborn, traded up to draft Shemar James, and acquired Kenneth Murray through a trade. Dallas now has depth at the position, and Clark is in the final year of his deal. If the team wants to be shrewd, they could let Clark go and keep a James and or a Justin Barron to protect them from being stolen off waivers. Sanborn, Murray, Marist Liufau, James, and Barron can hold the spots on the 53-man roster until DeMarvion Overshown returns from injury.
DE Payton Turner
Payton Turner is the other defensive player on the bubble for Dallas. The position he is playing makes it challenging because the team has Micah Parsons and Dante Fowler Jr. as starters. They also have three young, top 50 picks at the position. Turner was a first-round pick, but hasn’t started a game yet because he was injured early on. He only played 15 games in his first three seasons before getting in 16 last year. He has potential, but at a position with two double-digit sack players as starters and multiple young investments, the Cowboys may need to give snaps to their other options, making Turner the odd man out.
Have the Cowboys done enough to become contenders? – Staff, DallasCowboys.com
The question everyone is wondering.
Have they done enough to become contenders?
Kyle: Usually, I’d say the term “contenders” is conditional to the situation. Is the expectation to “contend” within the division? The NFC? For a Super Bowl? But this year, they all run together. With the Eagles and Commanders coming off the season they just had, the Cowboys will need to be ready to contend with anyone.
I believe their close, but not there yet. This was a good offseason. Adding George Pickens should help the offense tremendously. Adding depth at multiple defensive positions will be a huge asset later in the year. And re-vamping the offensive line with young talent is very exciting to see. There are just too many questions in key spots like defensive tackle, cornerback, and running back for me to stand on the table and proclaim this as one of the top teams in the league. Can they contend for the division and make a push for the playoffs? Absolutely. But there needs to be a bevy of things to go right for that to happen.
Kurt: Contenders for the playoffs? Yes. Contenders to raise the Lombardi Trophy? Well, never say never. Remember, the disappointment of last season was largely caused by the number of injuries the team suffered, primarily losing starting quarterback Dak Prescott. If Dallas had been healthier in 2024, I think slipping into the playoffs as a wild-card seed was definitely possible, which is an outlook the team again faces this year. If the Cowboys can stay healthy, they can take second in the division and vie for a postseason berth. If they can’t, another hard-luck campaign lies ahead. Now, as far as loftier heights, the real problem is the defending champs are looming as the Eagles are still considered one of the top teams in the NFL. Right now, I don’t think Dallas can topple their NFC East rivals for the division crown. Of course, no one expected the 1975 Cowboys to reach the Super Bowl, and the 1992 squad was still seen as being at least a season away before they made history, so you just never know. This year’s team will contend, but to what extent remains to be seen.
NFL’s underrated and overrated teams in 2025: Bills, 49ers could tumble; Cowboys looking up – Mike Jones, The Athletic
The Athletic identifies the Cowboys as one of the most underrated teams heading into 2025.
Replacing Mike McCarthy with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer felt like an underwhelming head coaching move. Top defensive player Micah Parsons’ unresolved contract status continues to hang over the team. Cornerback Trevon Diggs and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown remain in the rehabilitation stage after season-ending injuries. The running back position remains underwhelming. As a whole, expectations aren’t very high outside of the organization.
But the healthy return of Dak Prescott could dramatically improve an offense that floundered without him last season. The pairing of George Pickens with holdover CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert and tight end Jake Ferguson could make it hard for defenses to key on any one weapon — as long as Pickens can carry himself with maturity. A rebound from last year’s 7-10 record and contention with Washington for a playoff spot behind Philadelphia might not be out of the question.
Dak Prescott is poised to have an insane year (but not why you think) – Lou Scatagia, The Landry Hat
An alternative reason why Dak Prescott is going to have a big year.
Prescott is set to return from his hamstring injury, and when you look at his past, there is reason to believe that 2025 could be one of his most productive seasons, and this is an interesting trend that has followed Prescott across his NFL career.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott plays very well when coming off of an injury or a ‘down’ season
This is a weird, but perhaps great trend that Prescott has experienced during his NFL career. After a 2017 season where he regressed as a passer following a breakout rookie season in 2016, he improved quite a bit in 2018.
The next piece of evidence we have was Prescott going down with a season-ending injury back in 2020. He played just five games that year, and Dallas went 2-3 in those games. However, in 2021, Prescott went 11-5 in 16 starts and threw for 37 touchdowns, a franchise record, and just 10 interceptions for a stellar 104.2 passer rating. It was one of the best QB seasons in Dallas Cowboys history.
But then in 2022, Prescott regressed. He led the NFL with 15 interceptions and threw just 23 touchdowns in 12 games. His passer rating fell to a mediocre 91.1, which ranked 15th at the position. But, as you can guess, he played much better in 2023. Dak Prescott led the NFL in 2023 with 36 touchdowns, threw just nine interceptions, and again saw his passer rating jump above 100.
3 veteran players Dallas Cowboys could consider trading-Brian Martin, Blogging the Boys
Sam Williams and Luke Schoonmaker are two of three vets Martin thinks could be flipped in a trade.
DE Sam Williams
Despite missing all of 2024 with a season-ending knee injury, Sam Williams is a young, promising pass rusher with starting potential. He averaged four QB sacks in his first two years and given the premier position he plays there are likely several teams around the league who could be interested in trying to acquire him via trade. In Dallas, he’s probably nothing more than a depth piece who is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
TE Luke Schoonmaker
Luke Schoonmaker could be in the process of getting passed on the depth chart by Brevyn Spann-Ford, which could make him an intriguing trade target for someone else around the league considering his draft pedigree and the fact he has two years remaining on his rookie contract. While he is shown in flashes of starting potential in a limited role, it may not be enough for him to stick around in Dallas if the new coaching staff isn’t in his corner.
