Dallas’ Defense Is Broken — The Rebuild Starts Now

Why Dallas’ Defensive Numbers Shifted After His Injury

When Overshown went down late in the season, the Cowboys saw a slight improvement in their averages, allowing 25.5 points per game and 322.5 yards per game over the final four contests.

On the surface, those numbers look like a step forward. But they need context.

Dallas still faced dangerous opponents during that stretch, including a 10-win Tampa Bay team, a 12-win Washington squad that reached the NFC Championship Game, and the Super Bowl champion Eagles, who scored 41 points on the Cowboys.

The improvement wasn’t about losing Overshown — it was about the defense briefly settling down structurally.

After Overshown’s injury, the Cowboys simplified their approach.

Mike Zimmer leaned on more static fronts, reduced rotations, and relied on basic zone rules. That kind of simplification naturally cuts down on explosive plays and mental errors, which helped the defensive averages improve.

The slight boost was never a sign that the defense was trending upward long term — and it certainly wasn’t an indication that Overshown was holding the unit back.

In fact, the opposite is true.

The Truth Behind the Late-Season Defensive Improvement

The improvement Dallas saw late in the year was temporary. It didn’t carry into 2025, and it wasn’t enough to mask deeper issues across the roster.

The Cowboys entered this offseason with one of the weakest defensive units in the league. The coverage was inconsistent, the tackling lacked discipline, and the team struggled to maintain structure against even average offenses.

Overshown’s absence didn’t fix the defense. The uptick was short-lived, driven by a simpler playbook and fewer communication-heavy packages. Once the season ended, the Cowboys were still left with a roster lacking impact players in key areas.

That’s where Overshown — and several major additions — come back into focus.

What the 2024 Defensive Data Really Says About Dallas

There’s no statistical case supporting the idea that Dallas was better off without Overshown.

His thirteen games came against elite offenses; the final four came during a simplified defensive stretch. The differences — 2.7 fewer points and roughly 43 fewer yards — say more about situational changes than any player’s absence.

Overshown played well, produced consistently, and was one of the only defenders with the athleticism to match top-tier offenses. The Cowboys didn’t improve because Overshown left — they stabilized briefly because the system was trimmed down.

Midway through 2025, the Cowboys have one of the lowest-ranked defenses in the NFL. That reality reframes Overshown’s importance entirely.

The Future of the Cowboys Linebacker Unit Under Eberflus

The Cowboys’ linebacker unit looks dramatically more promising midway through 2025 thanks to the return of DeMarvion Overshown and the addition of veteran Logan Wilson.

Wilson brings experience, toughness, and a stabilizing voice the Cowboys desperately lacked last season. His ability to diagnose plays quickly and set the front pre-snap will help Overshown play freely rather than carry the burden of constant adjustments.

Overshown’s athleticism pairs perfectly with Wilson’s instincts.

Wilson can absorb traffic and handle interior fits, giving Overshown cleaner angles and wider pursuit lanes. Together, they form a modern linebacker duo designed for Matt Eberflus’ pursuit-heavy philosophy.

But perhaps the biggest upgrade comes from the presence of Quinnen Williams in the middle of the defensive line. Williams is a double-team magnet and one of the league’s most disruptive interior defenders.

His ability to demand two blockers on nearly every snap will free Overshown and Wilson from climbing guards — a luxury the Cowboys haven’t consistently had in years.

With Williams anchoring the front and Wilson stabilizing the linebacker room, Overshown returns in 2025 with more support than he has ever had.

For the first time, the Cowboys have the interior muscle and second-level experience to let Overshown do what he does best: close space, attack run lanes, and make plays sideline-to-sideline.

Overshown’s Return Could Stabilize a Weak Dallas Defense

The Cowboys’ late-season improvement in 2024, after Overshown’s injury, was real, but it was also misleading.

It came from simplified defensive structure, not a loss of talent. Overshown played during the toughest stretch of the schedule, and his production kept the defense afloat more often than the numbers show.

Now, he returns to a defense that desperately needs speed, instincts, and playmaking ability. With Logan Wilson beside him and Quinnen Williams swallowing blockers up front, Overshown steps into 2025 not as a question mark — but as a critical building block for Matt Eberflus’ defensive rebuild.

Overshown wasn’t the problem in 2024.

In 2025, he might be the solution Dallas has been missing.