Tommy Yarrish

FRISCO, TexasCowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, is hopeful he'll be ready to return in Dallas' Week 6 game on Sunday night against the Packers.

Overshown initially was working with Cowboys director of rehabilitation Britt Brown during the media's viewing portion of practice on Monday, and then worked into individual drills with the other linebackers afterwards.

"I feel better than when I felt when the injury happened," Overshown said. "I'm running around, I'm doing everything you can as a football player. These [hamstring injuries] are tricky. You can have six good days in a row and then out of nowhere, something happens. Right now I'm feeling great. I'm feeling like I can run around and do everything I could before the injury. At this point, it's just how practice goes throughout the week. How the [hamstring] handles all the stresses of a full 60 minutes of football."

Overshown has dealt with several injuries over the course of his NFL career, beginning in 2023 with a torn ACL in his left knee and a torn ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee in the 2024. This injury is not as severe for Overshown, but is still a frustrating one. When asked about it, Overshown split up his answers into two separate viewpoints.

"For DeMarvion Overshown, it's hard," Overshown said. "As a man, as a father, as a son, you want to do whatever you can to make your family happy. You want to be out on the field. You know how much you sacrifice all year, all offseason just to play healthy, especially being in my shoes. It's hard for me"

"Agent 0, the Cowboys linebacker, bump and roll. I've been here before. I have all my faith in God, His plan and His plan. So who am I to question? Whether it was getting hurt the first game, getting hurt the 10th game, you never want it to happen. If it's in His will, I'm going to let it be done and I'm just gonna continue to work every day. I want to play. I want to be out there, but it's football, I've got to take my body, take care of myself."

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that Overshown's status for Sunday night against Green Bay is still TBD.

Five games into the year, the Cowboys sit at 2-3 and have allowed the second-most total yards per game in the NFL this season (395.4). On Monday morning, Overshown said the Cowboys defense had a "heart to heart" meeting as they look to turn the corner.

"Looking ourselves in the mirror," Overshown said of what was discussed in the meeting. "Putting what we wanted our standard to be, we put that on the board. We went by bullet point, bullet point. Are we holding up to this? Are we being this? As a unit, how can we get closer? What is it? Just hearing from all of us. It really wasn't like a fire drill conversation, it was more so, 'What can I do to help you? What do I expect from you on Sundays, or every Monday walk throughs?' We've got to talk to each other like that because the ship is only going to go as far as the weakest person on the boat. As long as we all in this together, I think we're going to be great. I know we're going to be there."

In Overshown's eyes, the Cowboys have everything necessary to be among the best defensive units in the league.

"It's no reason why we couldn't be a defense that only allowed 10 points a game," Overshown said. "Our thing is not shooting ourselves in the foot, the mental errors. Once we get past that, we're going to be one of the best defenses in the league, we've just got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot."

When he returns, Overshown believes he can be part of the solution for Dallas' struggles to start the season.

"I feel like I'm a pretty good football player," Overshown said. "Getting me back on the field, whether that's [Barham], [Dee Winters], anybody, any other rotation that we're going to have, I feel like it's just going to better our room, which is going to better the defense, which is going to better the team overall. I like to look at myself as one of the guys on this team. When I get back on the field, I can definitely help in some way or some fashion."

In Overshown's absence, rookie Jaishawn Barham has played the MIKE linebacker position and worn the green dot for the Cowboys defense, communicating between DC Christian Parker and the other 10 players on the field. Overshown hasn't been surprised by what Barham has been able to accomplish.

"He's a dog," Overshown said. "I feel like I've been saying that since camp, and we've been saying it since camp. He's a dog. He's getting better every week, he's learning. He's definitely took the green dot role and treated it as a sign of respect, authority, took it as a patch of honor like 'Let me run the show as a rookie.' He's been doing good. I've been trying to do my best however I can help him. He's going to be a player, a great player, for a long time for this team and in the league in general."

One question that remains when Overshown returns is where he'll slot in at linebacker. Overshown was the green dot and MIKE to start the season, but with Barham's play, could he move back to the weakside linebacker position where he's spent most of his career? As of now, the Cowboys staff hasn't told Overshown.

"They haven't communicated that, but I mean, it really don't matter," Overshown said when asked about if Barham would remain as the MIKE and green dot. "We both, the linebacker positions are both the same, and then the green dot is the person that's basically just communicating from CP. So really depending on what they decide to do. But it won't change how we play at all, it'll still be the same stuff."

The Cowboys have their weekly players day off Tuesday, and will return to practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as Overshown hopes to get back in the lineup for Dallas against the Packers.