Left guard Tyler Smith, tight end Jake Ferguson and cornerback DaRon Bland were among the Cowboys players who achieved a breakout performance in 2023. Who is next? We’re counting down five potential candidates.
2. DeMarvion Overshown
Position: Linebacker.
Draft class: Third round, 2023.
2023 season: Missed the entire year with an ACL tear.
Outlook: Exactly how strong of an impression did Overshown make as a rookie before a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of the second preseason game? The former Texas standout has not practiced since, and still, the Cowboys comfortably have projected him as their starting Will linebacker for 2024 despite a new coordinator.
Overshown has been ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation for months and is expected to hit the ground running in Oxnard, Calif. His athleticism and vocal leadership were missed last year. Any Dallas linebacker’s success, it bears mentioning, is at least partially predicated by the defensive line, the interior of which enters camp a true question mark.
Breakout candidates
No. 5: Princeton Fant, tight end
No. 4: Juanyeh Thomas, safety
No. 3: Jalen Tolbert, wide receiver
No. 2: DeMarvion Overshown, linebacker
No. 1: John Stephens, tight end
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