There were a lot of positives to take from the Dallas Cowboys' preseason loss to the Seahawks Saturday night, but the injury to DeMarvion Overshown was a wet blanket on all of them, including Jalen Tolbert's performance.
The initial fear was that Overshown suffered a torn ACL and his MRI confirmed that, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
After an impressive training camp and preseason, it felt inevitable Dan Quinn would find a role for Overshown's athleticism. Now, Dallas is razor thin at linebacker behind starters Leighton Vander Esch and Damone Clark.
With that, let's take a look at some quick fixes for Dan Quinn.
3. Look outside the organization
There will be a lot of calls in light of this news for the Cowboys to sign a veteran free agent, and understandably so. Behind Vander Esch and Clark, who's only entering year two, Dallas doesn't have much experience at linebacker.
A simple solution would be to sign a vet who has experience in a system similar to Quinn's. At this point on the NFL calendar, though, beggars can't be choosers. Any experience would suffice.
It's impossible not to point to Anthony Barr as a potential signing. He started 10 games for the Cowboys last season and produced 58 tackles, four QB hits, two fumble recoveries and 26 run stops, per PFF. He didn't fare well in coverage and looked a step slow at times, but his familiarity with the coaching staff and locker room are as good as fans could hope for in late August.
Jermaine Carter and Damien Wilson are other options in free agency.
2. Entrust Jabril Cox, promote Devin Harper
This would be a roll of the dice by the Cowboys, but Cox has received rave reviews throughout training camp, performed well in Week 1 of preseason and was one of the defense's highest-graded players against the Seahawks.
Overshown's injury forces Cox into the spotlight regardless of whether Dallas signs a free agent, but don't rule out the team giving the 2021 fourth-round pick a real shot to announce himself as the third-stringer.
Whether that's integrating Cox into the first-team defense during practice or playing him close to 100% of the snaps in the final preseason game, the LSU product is going to sink or swim as he's called into a more prominent role.
Harper is an interesting case as his roster spot is far from secure. Having said that, he's not long removed from his best performance in a Cowboys uniform (the first preseason game) and has stood out at camp.
Nobody's demanding Harper see extensive reps on defense. He's too involved on special teams for that to happen, but he's a high-class athlete and Quinn typically brainstorms a (useful) role for players with similar profiles.
1. More LB snaps for Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson
The idea of Cox and Harper drawing meaningful snaps on defense is scary, which is why fans are clamoring for the front office to make a move.
Harper played exclusively on special teams as a rookie last year (just three games) before he was placed on season-ending IR with a foot injury, while Cox is finally back to playing at full-speed a season removed from ACL surgery. In two years, Cox has eight tackles and 45 defensive snaps on his ledger.
With that in mind, look for Quinn to get more creative with Kearse and Wilson, who doubled as pseudo-linebackers all of last season. Per Pro Football Focus, Kearse lined up in the box on 308 snaps and Wilson did so on 404 snaps. Fans could see a lot of the veteran thumpers in that role to start the year.
What makes that a viable solution is that the Cowboys are incredibly deep at safety. If Kearse and Wilson see more as hybrid LBs, Israel Mukuamu could get more run at safety, in addition to Markquese Bell or Juanyeh Thomas, depending on how many safeties are kept.
The important thing to remember is that there's no perfect solution to a promising rookie tearing up his knee weeks before the season. These quick fixes will at least allow for some flexibility between now and Week 1.