OXNARD, Calif. -- It was just 11 snaps out of 71 for the game. But for Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, it meant much more than that.
Last summer, Overshown's rookie season ended before it could really begin. On the second drive of his second preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, Overshown sustained a torn ACL in his left knee while making a tackle.
"I think about that moment all the time, because when I got up off that injury, I was expecting to come back and play again," Overshown said after the Cowboys' 13-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. "That's what I was expecting out of myself, and then getting the news I was going to have to wait a year, it definitely hurt. But I worked a whole year just to feel what I felt again today in an actual game, living my dream all over again.
"So, the journey was worth it, the feelings that I'm feeling right now, all that work put in, it was definitely worth it."
In his 11 snaps, Overshown was credited with three tackles. In 46 preseason snaps last year, he was credited with nine tackles.
Overshown's injury hurt the Cowboys more than just losing a talented third-round pick. The Cowboys opted to move 205-pound safety Markquese Bell to linebacker. Later, when Leighton Vander Esch was lost for the season due to a neck injury, the Cowboys linebacker group took a huge hit.
The run defense suffered, in part, because of a lack of true linebackers, as former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn relied on a three-safety set.
One of the promises made by new coordinator Mike Zimmer was that the Cowboys would use actual linebackers in 2024. The return of Overshown helps.
While Overshown was cleared to go at the start of training camp, the coaches are still monitoring his workload.
"Overshown jumps off the tape at you," coach Mike McCarthy said earlier in camp. "No question there."
Linebackers coach Scott McCurley offered his take.
"Really, for the limited reps he gets when he gets in there, you see the physical traits that he brings to the game with his explosiveness, the way he can run," he said. "I mean, it's impressive where he's at right now physically. I know there'll be some setbacks, this and that coming back and we're going to be smart with him, but you can really see what we missed out there with him being hurt last year."
Throughout the offseason, McCarthy said Overshown was ahead of the timeline to return. With fellow rookies David Durden, a wide receiver, and John Stephens Jr., a tight end, suffering torn ACLs in their left knees at roughly the same time, Overshown had workout partners to push him through the down days of recovery.
"He has great energy," McCarthy said of Overshown. "He's had that from the day he walked in here. His light is bright. He has an infectious personality. Everything he does is full speed."
Overshown does not wear a brace for added protection on his knee, and he said he doesn't think about the injury anymore as he practices.
"I trusted the training staff and the strengthening staff this whole process," he said. "And one of the main things they said was, 'When you go again, you're going to be good.' So, the knee is not even in question."
Getting accustomed to playing again is quite another thing, like taking or receiving a hit and the spatial awareness needed to play his position.
Even though the Texas native was physically limited during his rehab process, he tried to keep his mind sharp. It paid off against the Rams. On the third play, he dropped running back Boston Scott for just a 2-yard gain then got up to celebrate briefly. Six plays later, he quickly diagnosed a screen pass to Scott, maneuvered past the offensive lineman and combined with fellow 2023 draft pick first-rounder Mazi Smith for a tackle for loss.
"It definitely felt good to make a play in an actual game again," Overshown said. "It's kind of like being built up for a year just waiting for that moment again and feeling those types of emotions again. When you take that away from a competitor like myself, you got to find little wins throughout the day. So, it was times I'd go in my garage with a fly swatter and just hit flies all day just to feel good, just to feel something, reaction times.
"So, coming off a block, making a tackle, that felt great."