Blogging The Boys
It’s been a wild ride, but things are starting to clear up at linebacker for the Cowboys.
Over the years, the Dallas Cowboys have experienced considerable transition at the linebacker position. During the Rolando McClain and Jaylon Smith soap operas and the annual mystery of whether Sean Lee could stay healthy, there has been considerable flux at the position.
Every year, the team tries to piece something together, whether it’s Day 3 draft investments like Anthony Hitchens or Damien Wilson, or low-cost free agent signings like Justin Durant or Anthony Barr. And with the repeated coaching changes over the last five years, you can always bank on some new veteran joining the squad who previously played for a new Cowboys coach.
While it’s been erratic over the last decade, things haven’t slowed down recently. The team had to say goodbye to Lander Vander Esch, who retired after six injury-riddled seasons with the Cowboys. LVE was a first-round pick in 2018 who looked like a star in the league, racking up 140 tackles and two picks his rookie year en route to an All-Pro season.
The Cowboys rolled the dice on a couple of LSU Tiger linebackers who fell in the draft in back-to-back years. Jabril Cox and Damone Clark were thought to be guys with upside who could help, but things haven’t worked out. Cox only logged 46 defensive snaps and lasted two seasons with the team. Clark has been much more serviceable, seeing action in all three of his years in the league. He even started all 17 games in 2023 and led the team with 109 tackles. Clark is in the final year of his rookie deal, but his role on the team continues to fade as he played primarily on special teams last year.
The team tried to get creative with physical safety Markquese Bell and converted him to linebacker in 2023. He played admirably at the position and wasn’t terrible, but he and his LB partner, Clark, didn’t have the skills to make plays consistently, leaving the team with subpar linebacker play.
Clark and Bell were forced to do all the heavy lifting in 2023 because rookie DeMarvion Overshown missed the season after tearing his ACL in a preseason game. Overshown was back last year and looked fantastic until tragedy struck again, this time tearing all the cruciate ligaments (ACL, MCL, and PCL) in his knee late in the season. His 2025 season is up in the air, but word on the street is that he is progressing well, and they are hoping a midseason return is in the cards for their young star linebacker.
The Cowboys are hoping things take a turn for the better because they have done a handful of things to shore up the position....
