Consensus around the proverbial water cooler is that the Dallas Cowboys have had an excellent offseason. Games have to be played and the results of them will ultimately be how all of this is measured, but the last few months have gone very well.
Odds are you have been asked or asked someone yourself what else is left to do before planes are boarded for Oxnard. Should there be a new signing? Maybe a trade? You can argue that all has been tended to as well.
This week ESPN wrote about one final thing
that each team should do, and the answer for the Cowboys was none of those specific things.
An argument for extending DeMarvion Overshown
So far this offseason the Cowboys have taken care of their two biggest would-be issues in the extension department. Brandon Aubrey has a deal in place that will keep him with the team for years to come. George Pickens has signed his franchise tag and pledged to play on it without holding out, so all is good there as well.
DeMarvion Overshown is currently set to enter the final year of his contract, though. ESPN believes that should change.
Dallas Cowboys
Extend linebacker DeMarvion Overshown
This is not about rewarding a player who has excelled on the field but rather trying to get ahead of things. Overshown missed his entire rookie season in 2023 and played only five games last season because of injury. However, he still has potential to be one of the league’s top off-ball linebackers. The Cowboys could extend him now for a lot less than it will cost in a few months if Overshown has a strong 2026 season.
The other starting linebacker, Dee Winters, is also going to be a free agent after 2026, so it would be good to sign one of them long term. Obviously, an extension for Overshown takes a risk that the player deals with injury again or simply isn’t as good as the expectations. However, it’s an investment in the Cowboys’ future if he does play up to his potential.
There are a number of ways to feel about this.
First off, Overshown has been a wonderful player for the Cowboys since joining the team. He has obviously missed a lot of time, but he showed so much potential as the 2024 season was hanging on for dear life and if you had asked anybody whether they wanted to extend him then the majority surely would have said yes.
Unfortunately for Overshown the availability issue is a real one. He has played in 19 of 51 possible games in three seasons. From a business sense that is hard to trust.
But there is also some business sense to getting ahead of the issue as noted by ESPN. By overpaying now, relatively speaking, the Cowboys could wind up with a bargain if Overshown has a standout season across 2026. There are a lot of ifs there which again might scare some off.
For what it’s worth, Overshown seems to be handling the contract year situation well. Back in May he spoke about it and offered the proper speak on the matter.
“It’s football for me,” Overshown said at the Cowboys’ charity home run derby last Thursday. “Contract year or not, I have to come out here and play my best. I was going to go out there and ball regardless. That’s for other people to really figure out, I’m going to go do my part, make sure I’m on the field for 17-plus [games] and the money will take care of itself.”
While we can discuss the merits of an extension offer from the Cowboys perspective, the deal also has to make sense from Overshown’s as well. On some level it is the proper play for him to bet on having a great season and his bargaining power being higher next year as opposed to where it is now. At the moment the injury issue is obviously a thing, but so is the fact that the team’s defense was so horrid last season. Imagine if they are solid, relatively speaking, while he plays a full season and they make the playoffs. That changes the math dramatically.
Overshown seems to be aware of that. If you forgot or never knew, he changed agents this offseason. He is now represented by David Mulugheta, the same agent who represents Micah Parsons and George Pickens. Things with the former obviously turned sour, but how they have gone with the latter suggests that the relationship between representation and the Cowboys has mended.
As noted there are pros and cons to this idea, and no answer is truly right or truly wrong. The NFL has many examples of early extensions winding up as great bargains, but the Cowboys have also been burned by giving them to players in this spot and not seeing it fully work out. Jaylon Smith comes to mind.
Would you want to see the Cowboys extend DeMarvion Overshown before the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
