'It's not fair': Another potential DeMarvion Overshown injury hurts Dallas Cowboys teammates

ARLINGTON — Dallas Cowboys linebacker Eric Kendricks has been around long enough to know the drill. The gridiron lives up to its name, time and time again. Players go down; new players shuffle in. It’s a next man up league, after all.

“It’s crazy, because often times we get so numb to injuries and things like that,” said Kendricks, who’s in his 10th season in the NFL. “We have to carry on right away.”

Kendricks then paused, as the gravity of the exception hit him moments after the Cowboys fell 27-20 to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.

“We’re not really ready to in that situation,” he said.

In his mind, DeMarvion Overshown’s situation is that unique.

Overshown has been one of the Cowboys’ youngest and brightest stars this season. He’s inspired his teammates, both through his play and uplifting demeanor, especially after a torn ACL ended his rookie season last year before it even began.

That’s what made the fourth quarter of Monday’s game so crushing to Overshown’s teammates. Overshown was involved in a pile up on a Chase Brown two-yard carry. Immediately, when the pile cleared, Cowboys teammates called for the training staff to come over. Overshown, meanwhile, laid on the ground as his legs remained motionless.

Eventually, Overshown was helped up and assisted by two trainers as they slowly walked directly to the locker room. It was mere minutes — faster than most injury updates — before the press box announcer at AT&T Stadium announced the inevitable: Overshown was out with a knee injury.

There was no immediate clarity on the severity of Overshown’s injury, but the early indications aren’t good.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it was concerning. “Very concerning,” he added.

Mike McCarthy said it was of a “serious nature,” adding that it “didn’t look good.”

Even Overshown himself commented on X about his status.

True to Overshown’s nature, he tried to implement a positive twist on what appears to be a tough situation. That if anyone could come back from potentially another season-ending injury, that it’s him. It’s that relentless positivity that makes Monday’s reality so difficult for his teammates.

Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons, when asked about Overshown’s injury, said he cried when it happened. He started to cry in the postgame locker room as he thought back on the moment.

“That’s my little bro, bro,” Parsons said. “He don’t deserve that, either. He really don’t. To understand what he’s going to have to go through, and to be there for him physically and mentally, because he’s just so talented. The year he was having? I really just don’t think that’s fair.”

It’s that element — the repeating of an arduous and difficult recovery so quickly — that wasn’t lost on his teammates. That perspective hasn’t been lost once on Overshown, either.

Just consider his previous game. Against the Giants, Overshown — an east Texas native — had the play of his young career: a highlight-reel interception return for a touchdown that, in the words of Jones, displayed every elite skillset that Overshown brings to the table. After the game, Overshown took a moment to reflect on where he was the year prior.

“Just before the game I was telling myself around this time last year, I was just waiting to show people my testimony of when I get back on the field,” Overshown said, beaming with his trademark smile. “I’m going to show what God has truly put in me: to inspire and play like I do.”

This season, Overshown lived up to that testimony. The guy that played next to him is the perfect example.

Kendricks wasn’t with the Cowboys last season. Which means he hasn’t known Overshown very long. It didn’t take very long for the two — a guy preparing to play in his first season, and another heading into his 10th — to form a bond.

Kendricks took on a mentorship role to Overshown. He watched the young linebacker blossom from a spark plug without direction, to a true NFL football player — one with the ability to harness that electricity.

“Every Sunday, every practice, look at the way he plays,” Cowboys left guard Tyler Smith said. “I mean, it’s evident. Just watching him, the way he attacks the game.

“I think you could really see this year, just the start he got off to, just how much it meant to him be able to go to war with us.”

Kendricks saw a reason for that growth from Overshown. He said he saw a player that truly loved the game. He saw that consistently. That energy — almost unparalleled — ignited a fire within him, he said.

Last game, Overshown and Kendricks shared a personal moment that was caught on the team’s behind the scenes video, “Sounds from the Sideline.”

“I appreciate you,” Overshown told Kendricks. “I hadn’t even told you, but I’m thankful for you, man.”

Kendricks responded, “I’m thankful for you, bro. You push me, and that’s what it’s all about.”

I asked Kendricks about the moment this week. He said he didn’t even know the Cowboys camera crew was within earshot, let alone recording. He later said he was thankful, though, because the moment was that sincere.

Kendricks also told Overshown in the video that he thought Overshown had the potential to be the best linebacker in the NFL. Even despite Monday’s injury — no matter the significance — he believes Overshown can get there.

“He’s a freak and he’s a thug, too, so if I know anything about him, I know he’s going to be back,” Kendricks said, “better than ever.”

It’s the process of getting back, however — for the second-straight year potentially — that hurt Overshown’s Cowboys teammates the most.

“I’m just feeling for him right now,” Kendricks said. “I know how hard he works, and it means a lot to him. Means a lot to me. It’s not really fair. Football is not really fair. You never know.”

That’s what made it impossible to be numb this time around.