The Dallas Cowboys take on the Green Bay Packers next. However, the already troubling defense will be without a crucial player.
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The Cowboys elevated cornerback Derion Kendrick and safety Juanyeh Thomas from the practice squad for Sunday night’s game at the Green Bay Packers, and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown will miss it after not traveling with the team, The Athletic’s Jon Machota reported on X.
Overshown strained his hamstring in the opener against the Giants and has not been able to return so far. Sunday will be his fifth straight missed game.
Optimism crept in earlier this week. Overshown acknowledged after practice that he felt better now than when he was injured. He was also able to run more and was “doing everything you can as a football player.”
“You can have six good days in a row, and then out of nowhere something happens,” Overshown said. “Right now I feel great. At this point, it’s just how practice goes throughout the week. How the [hamstring] handles all the stresses of a full 60 minutes of football.”
He missed Wednesday’s practice, was limited Thursday and Friday, and has now been designated as questionable. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer had already called him a “long shot.”
“We don’t want to rush anything. We’ve got time. We don’t have to rush anything. But I think that’s why we’re viewing Overshown’s status that way.”
Overshown was given green-dot duties in the Dallas defense, which has many new players this season. He was expected to rebound after a shortened 2025 campaign, and had already missed his entire rookie season. But he showed his potential in 2024, in which Overshown tallied an impressive 90 tackles.
Rookie Jaishawn Barham has worn the green dot in Overshown’s absence. So far, he has 28 tackles, four tackles for loss, and a forced fumble through five games. Linebacker Dee Winters has 35 tackles.
As for the reinforcements, Kendrick, who arrived from the Los Angeles Rams, will take his first snaps of the season in the Packers game. He gives Dallas another option at nickel. Thomas is up for his third game this season.
The week was busy elsewhere, too. Dallas brought running back Emari Demercado back to the 53-man roster after waiving him, and replaced cornerback Alex Austin on the practice squad with offensive lineman Nick Leverett.
Overshown, of course, is not the only crucial player unavailable for the Cowboys. Cobie Durant and offensive tackle Drew Shelton were both ruled out with hamstring injuries. Safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke are also out, and L.T. Overton and Ameer Speed were listed as questionable with foot and knee injuries, respectively.
Joey Porter Jr. was also listed as questionable after an ankle issue in practice, though he traveled with the team. He was also absent from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game after turning very ill before the matchup. The staff had to send him home.
Sickness also affected Da’Ron Bland and Caelen Carson, who were sent home from practice on Monday.
Dallas, at 2-3, takes a patchwork roster to Lambeau Field. Whether those late additions matter will depend on who they end up covering.
How Dallas Plans to Slow Jordan Love’s Passing Attack
Dallas’ task begins with the Packers QB. Green Bay beat the Chicago Bears 31-7 last Sunday with Jordan Love posting 25-of-31 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns. CBS Sports’ preview pointed to wide receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden as the receivers most likely to test Dallas.
The Cowboys’ answer is Porter, with a player like Cobie Durant absent from the lineup. The cornerback, who was formerly with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, played 24 of 52 defensive snaps against the Houston Texans, per the Cowboys’ website.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer is optimistic.
“We’ll see, but he’s definitely going to be heavily increased. I feel really good about where he’s at.”
Another wrinkle is rookie safety, Caleb Downs. Injuries at safety have kept him deeper than Dallas designed, and Parker wants to get him involved in plays not dictated by the call.
Green Bay will be without Micah Parsons, who remains on the PUP list after tearing his ACL and meniscus, as well as Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Ford, who are sidelined with Achilles and calf injuries, respectively.
The Dallas defense has to deliver in this game, after clearly failing to meet expectations they set entering the season. Fans will hope to see the Cowboys leave Lambeau Field with a commanding victory.