Rookie linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has never played a regular-season game with the Cowboys, but they will miss him. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Saturday’s preseason game at Seattle.
The third-round pick had not only earned a roster spot with a role on special teams, but he showed in training camp and in the preseason that he also deserved time with the defense.
“He has been, frankly, you can make the argument, the star of the rookie class,” coach Mike McCarthy said Monday, via Nick Harris of the team website. “He has stood out from the first time we got in the meeting room. You could see his ability right away. Obviously, you feel terrible for the young man.”
One man’s bad luck gives others a chance as next man up.
“This is a great opportunity for Devin Harper and Jabril Cox and Tyrus Wheat,” McCarthy said. “This is how this league goes. You only have so many reps in a game and when someone does go down, it’s more opportunities for other players.”
The Cowboys have Damone Clark starting next to Leighton Vander Esch, and Harper, Cox and Wheat are competing for playing time behind them. The team will wait to see whether it might have to seek some veteran help.