So much went wrong for the Dallas Cowboys' defense against the New York Giants that it's difficult to pinpoint the root of the issues.
We could spend all week dissecting everything the defense did poorly, but it's not the first time a highly regarded first-time defensive coordinator has struggled in his debut. We're willing to give Christian Parker the benefit of the doubt.
One area he might have a difficult time turning into a strength, though, is linebacker play. Speaking of rough debuts, the duo of DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters looked as overmatched as any position group on the field Sunday night.
While Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark did not cover themselves, Overshown and Winters got picked on all game by Giants offensive coordinator tandem Matt Nagy and Greg Roman. Disappointing? Yes. A surprise? Hardly.
The Dallas Cowboys may need to upgrade at linebacker
Nagy and Roman called an excellent game, but nobody would lump them in with the game's most creative play-callers. That's a tier reserved for Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Andy Reid. And yet, they had Overshown and Winters chasing shadows.
The Giants' run-pass designs kept Overshown and Winters guessing all night. We saw the flat left vacant on three straight plays in the fourth quarter before New York attacked the middle of the field when Winters dropped into coverage.
Winters, in particular, was hunted in coverage, which, to the Giants' credit, was an excellent game plan. He thrives playing downhill. What better way to neutralize that strength than to expose his lack of coverage instincts and throw him off at the snap with a little window dressing?
Pro Football Focus gave Winters a 42.2 defensive grade, which ranked 15th out of 20 Cowboys defenders who played at least 10 snaps. He allowed four catches on as many targets for 40 yards, 20 of which came after the catch, which speaks to how often he was out of position to make a play once his assignment had the ball.
Winters wasn't much better against the run. He failed to come up with a defensive stop and finished with three tackles and one missed tackle. His 38.3 run-defense grade was the fourth-worst on the team.
DeMarvion Overshown was just as bad, allowing all four targets to be completed for 38 yards. His 145.8 passer rating allowed was the highest of any defender, per PFF. He managed a 63.5 run-defense grade, but the film review won't be kind to Agent 0, who was caught overpursuing and struggling to navigate traffic.
To cap it off, Overshown was flagged for a late hit after tagging Jaxson Dart, who was a step out of bounds, gifting the Giants 15 yards. He has to channel his energy better than that.
That's a separate issue, though.
DeMarion Overshown and Dee Winters need to play with a true MIKE linebacker
Unfortunately, Week 1 did nothing to dissuade concerns about Overshown and Winters, who are really undersized compared to most off-ball linebackers.
A former safety at Texas, Overshown is only 230 pounds. He's chiseled, but doesn't have the ideal frame or processing you want from a MIKE linebacker. It's only one game, but the notion that Overshown is better suited as a WILL carries a lot more weight after what we saw Sunday night.
A similar argument can be made for Winters, who's even smaller at 5-foot-11 (Overshown is 6-foot-3) and 227 pounds. His speed and physicality are assets when he's allowed to attack downhill, but asking him to consistently take on blockers and navigate traffic between the tackles plays away from those strengths.
Pairing him with Overshown only magnifies the concern, as Dallas doesn't have a traditional tone-setter in the middle to complement their athleticism.
Regardless if Overshown misses time with the hamstring injury he suffered in the loss, the front office may need to start thinking if a linebacker trade is necessary.
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