Micah Parsons is an elite defender. It’s no surprise he had an immediate impact in his return to the Cowboys.
Parsons put Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts back on his heels early and leveled the playing field until it was clear the Cowboys offense had nothing to contribute. His two sacks led Dallas.
Well, it tied for the team lead with the defender who emerged during Parsons’ four-game absence, DeMarvion Overshown.
“He’s a flame thrower,’’ defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said of Parsons. “You definitely see a difference in the speed on the field.
“With him and D-Mo both on the field at the same time, it’s a lot more juice.’’
Overshown’s rise has been one of the more encouraging developments in this otherwise disappointing season for Dallas. It’s unlikely the Cowboys will be able to extricate themselves from the 3-6 hole they’ve dug. But watching how Parsons and Overshown develop in tandem and the dimension they should add to this defense going forward will be interesting.
“Any player that is blessed to play with Micah Parsons sees he brings a lot of attention to him,’’ Overshown said ahead of the team’s game against Houston on Monday Night Football. “If you got two to three guys blocking one guy, there is no reason why the other 10 shouldn’t be winning their battles.
“I definitely don’t take that for granted, and I look at it as an opportunity for me to get mine.’’
Overhshown leads the Cowboys with four sacks and three tackles for a loss. The linebacker is second on the team in tackles with 68 and is tied for second in forced fumbles with one.
A torn ACL robbed Overshown of his rookie season. This is his delayed debut.
He’s responded by becoming just the fourth player since 1982 to record at least four sacks in his first nine games with Dallas. The others are Parsons (six), Jay Ratliff (four) and DeMarcus Ware (four).
Not bad company.
“My individual goal coming in was to be available for my team and being able to play the full 17,’’ said Overshown, who has been available for every game so far this season. “As far as numbers wise, I set some goals for myself.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting this hot of a start. But I know I wanted to get some good numbers in and I really don’t even know what good numbers are for a rookie in the NFL, not even rookie, but first-year linebacker in general.
“I just know I’m trying to get everything.’’
The club used a third-round pick in the 2023 draft on the UT linebacker and he impressed coaches and teammates from the start. He was so good that it appeared he would challenge veteran safety Jayron Kearse for the hybrid role in the defense of then-coordinator Dan Quinn.
Excitement regarding Overshown’s potential impact built even more with his outstanding performance in training camp. That made his season-ending knee injury in the team’s second pre-season game all the more discouraging.
Quinn’s departure to become the head coach in Washington cast some doubt on what Overshown’s role would be under Zimmer. What he asks of his linebackers is different from his predecessor.
But talent can carve out a role in any scheme. Zimmer talks about how much Overshown has improved since the off-season program and training camp with the details of the defense. He’s more precise in his alignments and when he sees the play, he goes after it. He’s also shown a knack for rushing the quarterback.
“D-Mo is playing excellent football,’’ head coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s improving every week.
“Some of the scheme adjustments we’ve made, he’s done a really nice job with that. He’s had some pressure opportunities. He’s made an impact.
“Obviously an exciting young player.’’
The excitement of what he can do grows even more with the return of Parsons.
“We’ve shared with each other how excited and how ready we are to play with each other,’’ Overshown said.