The Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker news went in opposite directions Thursday. DeMarvion Overshown participated fully, while Dee Winters did not practice because of a calf issue. That contrast gives Dallas a possible answer at one position before Monday’s trip to Philadelphia, though it does not make the Cowboys’ run defense any less vulnerable on paper.
Overshown’s return to full work is the encouraging development. He has missed five games after hurting his hamstring in Dallas’ opening game, so Thursday marked a meaningful step in his attempt to get back into the defensive picture. It does not establish his workload, his role or even his availability for Monday.
It does give Dallas another linebacker possibility during a week when Winters’ absence has narrowed the group’s options.
Winters had his own notable moment against Green Bay last Sunday, making the Cowboys’ first interception this season. His Thursday nonparticipation does not rule him out against the Eagles, while Overshown’s full participation gave Dallas an encouraging contrast.
Those designations leave the Cowboys with encouragement at linebacker and uncertainty at the same time—a familiar enough NFL injury-report trick, just less amusing when the position is attached to the league’s worst run defense.
Dallas has allowed just under 150 rushing yards per game through six contests, the highest figure in the NFL. That ranking does not explain every reason the number is so large, and it does not forecast what will happen at Lincoln Financial Field.
It does establish the central football problem for a team facing an Eagles offense that may soon regain a running back who had been unavailable.
The Eagles welcomed Barkley back to practice Thursday following the hamstring problem that sidelined him after Week 4. Philadelphia listed him as limited, and he remains hopeful of playing Monday rather than confirmed for the lineup. The distinction is important, but it does not make the Cowboys’ preparation simpler.
Dallas cannot count on Barkley being available, nor can it sensibly treat the Eagles as if his return is already off the table.
Barkley’s possible presence raises the stakes because Philadelphia would be bringing another running back option toward a defense that has permitted more rushing yardage than any team in the league. His absence would change the personnel question for the Eagles, but it would not erase Dallas’ larger assignment.
The Cowboys still have to defend Philadelphia’s rushing attack without allowing one player’s medical status to become a substitute for a plan.
