The Dallas Cowboys officially lost out on a playoff spot after a Week 16 loss against the Chargers. But head coach Brian Schottenheimer knows it’s imperative to finish the season strong to lay the foundation for next year. Well, that plan just took a major hit ahead of their Christmas Day game against the Washington Commanders.

HC Schottenheimer admitted that it’s “tough with a short week,” to believe linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (concussion) will be suiting up on Thursday at Washington.

Overshown was involved in a violent collision with running back Omarion Hampton and headed to the locker room shortly after. He walked off under his own power, which initially felt encouraging, but it was later confirmed that he was done for the day. Concussion protocol. It’s a pretty big setback for a player who was making just his sixth appearance of the season.

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And it stings because Overshown had been the one consistent bright spot in a Cowboys linebacker group that’s struggled most of the year. Another setback added to a list that’s already too long.

Overshown missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL in training camp. He came back to open the 2024 season and quickly looked like one of the better defenders on the roster. Then came another ACL tear, wiping out most of his 2025 season. When he finally returned midyear, he looked like himself again. Now this.

With Overshown likely sidelined, Dallas will have to lean more on Logan Wilson, who arrived at the trade deadline in a deal with the Bengals. Wilson was expected to compete for snaps right away, possibly pushing Kenneth Murray, but that hasn’t really materialized yet.

Now, there’s not much choice. Wilson will be needed. Marist Liufau could also see more work after being used sparingly so far.

And it wasn’t the only blow for Brian Schottenheimer.

Ryan Flournoy’s injury update

Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy said he’s going to try to play Thursday night against Washington. He was limited during the walkthrough, which is about as much as you’d expect at this point in the week. Flournoy didn’t return after taking a late hit from Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman. It was a bad one.

Dak Prescott hit Flournoy on a short throw. The receiver slid to the ground to secure the catch and was untouched as he went down. Then Perryman arrived late and delivered the hit while Flournoy was already on the turf. Helmet-to-helmet contact followed, and the flag came out immediately for unnecessary roughness.

Perryman was later suspended for the rest of the regular season.

The good news is it could’ve been much worse. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, MRI results showed only a knee strain, which came as a major relief given how serious it initially appeared. There’s still no certainty about whether Flournoy will actually suit up this week, but avoiding a more severe diagnosis was the biggest win.

It would matter if he could go. Flournoy was having a productive night before the hit. He caught the Cowboys’ first touchdown of the game and had another scoring catch wiped out by a penalty. On the season, he’s up to 35 receptions for 407 yards, solid numbers considering he’s sharing targets with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

Brian Schottenheimer will see how the week unfolds. More clarity should come over the next couple of days.