Cowboys Deliver Bad News on Starters’ Critical Injuries

On Tuesday, as the NFL’s owner meetings wrapped up, Cowboys news tended to be dominated by one clear issue: The lack of a contract extension for Micah Parsons, and the fallout from the Dallas brain trust (Jerry Jones and son Stephen Jones) claiming to have made Parsons a record-breaking offer without including Parsons’ agent in the mix.

But there was an important side note that was overlooked in the Joneses’ chats with the press.  As reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris, the Cowboys are facing a situation in which two important defensive starters will not be ready to start the year.

One is cornerback Trevon Diggs, and the other is linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.

“They have significant injuries. There’s a good chance that they may not start for us when the season starts. They may not be available,” Stephen Jones said.

Cowboys Hunted Bargains in Free Agency

Already, the Cowboys’ depth chart is looking thin in several key places, as the team tries to balance a roster built around stars with top-of-the market contracts at quarterback (Dak Prescott), wide receiver (CeeDee Lamb) and, eventually, Parsons. The Cowboys also kept defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa on a four-year, $80 million contract.

Dallas added defensive linemen Solomon Thomas, Dante Fowler and Payton Turner, running backs Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams, wide receiver Parris Campbell and guard Robert Jones on low-cost, make-good contracts. It’s not a stellar free-agent haul.

But Overshown now will be out for the opening of the year, and probably well into the season. He missed his rookie year after being a third-round pick out of Texas in 2023, with a torn ACL in his left knee. He debuted in Week 1 in 2024, and played well for much of the year until another devastating knee injury on December 9 against the Bengals. Overshown tore his ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee.

Diggs, meanwhile, battled knee injuries throughout last season and was finally shut down in Week 14, and had surgery on the knee in January. He was out for most of the 2023 season, and has not played just 13 games in the past two seasons. The Cowboys did take a chance on a trade for former Bills first-round pick Kaiir Elam, and the hope is he can fill in for Diggs.

Brian Schottenheimer Looks to the Trenches

While the injuries will affect the linebackers and defensive backs, new Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Dallas’s focus has been along both sides of the line. That’s been true on the defensive side, and the presumption is that the Cowboys will try to beef up the offensive front in the NFL draft.

“We’re always looking to create competition,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re certainly not done, whether that remains in free agency over the next couple of weeks or whether that’s through the draft. We really wanted to attack the front on both sides of the line of scrimmage. …

“The game is played in the trenches. It really is. And it doesn’t matter if that’s the first play, the last play, whatever it is, but it’s always played up there at some point, whether it’s trying to stop the run or having a hold up in pass protection when you’re playing in a two-minute drive. So I think we’ve done a nice job with that to start.”